Burma: A Modern Anomaly

Abstract

This chapter offers an in-depth account of the use of mobile phones during the Saffron Revolt of 2007 in Burma/Myanmar. While not the first example of using mobiles as a form of political activism and resistance in authoritarian regimes, the Burma example may be considered a case in point insofar it fully proves the potential, the limits, and the risks to human life when citizens engage in mobile-based activism in the midst of repression, violence and political conflict.