Nepal is facing one of its biggest crises in recent years. After Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s government banned 26 social media apps, including Facebook and Instagram, Gen Z protestors took to the streets. The protests quickly turned violent, leaving at least 51 dead.
The youth-led movement is not just about the ban. Protestors say they want to end corruption that has gripped Nepal for decades. With Oli gone and little trust in other political leaders, young Nepalis are searching for new leadership. In this search, they have turned to an unlikely digital tool — Discord.
What Is Discord?
Discord was launched in 2015 by Jason Citron and Stanislav Vishnevskiy. It started as a communication tool for gamers who wanted smooth chats without interrupting gameplay.
By 2016, it had 25 million users, and during the pandemic, it exploded in popularity, especially among Gen Z. The platform evolved from being a gaming app into a community hub where people could build “servers” for any topic.
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A Discord server is like a virtual community with multiple channels for text, audio, or video chats. One server can host up to 5,00,000 members, with 2,50,000 active at the same time.
How Protestors Used Discord in Nepal?
When protests broke out, Nepal’s Gen Z created servers to organize themselves. The most popular, Youth Against Corruption, has over 1,30,000 members.
Inside, they set up different channels for announcements, fact-checks, live ground updates, and even emergency helplines. This allowed protestors to share information quickly and safely, despite the ban on other social media.
The server even ran polls to choose Nepal’s next leader. By September 10, the former Chief Justice Sushila Karki received majority support. Reports say 7,713 votes helped her cross the 50% mark. The following day, Karki met Nepal’s president Ram Chandra Poudel and Army chief Gen. Ashok Raj Sigdel.
However, investigations revealed that anyone worldwide could vote on the server, raising doubts about legitimacy.
Discord’s Past Role in Politics and Elections
Discord is not new to any political organizing. The platform partnered with Vote.org and other groups to push voter registrations during the 2020 and 2022 elections in the United States. In France, several candidates, which also include far-right leader Éric Zemmour, created official Discord servers to connect with young voters during the 2022 presidential race.
Brazil also saw pro-and anti-Bolsonaro groups use Discord for election campaigning. Discord played a key role in the Hong Kong protests beyond elections, where activists used it to coordinate demonstrations securely.
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Even student unions worldwide have adopted Discord to run campaigns and debates, especially during the pandemic. While it has never been an official voting platform, Discord has become a powerful tool for youth-driven political mobilization.
Why Discord and Not WhatsApp or X?
For Gen Z, Discord feels safer and more structured than Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), or WhatsApp. It does not have endless feeds or algorithm-driven distractions. Instead, it gives young activists space to coordinate like a digital town hall.
Moderator Shaswot Lamichhane told the New York Times that the polls were meant to “suggest an interim leader” to oversee elections. Protestors say this is just the start of reshaping Nepal’s political future.
Digital Protests in a Banned Social Media World
Nepal’s ban on social media was meant to suppress dissent, but instead, it pushed Gen Z to alternative platforms. Discord, designed for gamers, has now become a protest tool.
By building organized digital spaces, Nepal’s youth showed how technology can fuel political change, but questions remain the same: can online votes decide real leadership, or will this remain only symbolic?
For now, the country watches as Gen Z keeps rewriting the rules of protest in the digital age.
