SYDNEY: Twitter on Thursday launched an emoji to mark one year since the first use of the “Milk Tea Alliance” meme which has grown into a symbol of pro-democracy movements in Asia.
“To celebrate the first anniversary of the #MilkTeaAlliance, we designed an emoji featuring 3 different types of milk tea colours from regions where the Alliance first formed online,” the tech giant’s public policy account tweeted in a thread on Thursday.
The hashtag — originating in the shared passion in Thailand, Hong Kong and Taiwan for milky tea - emerged as a symbol of support for democratic movements and concern over China’s power in the region.
Twitter said that more than 11 million tweets have featured thehashtag since it first appeared as a meme in April 2020, when it was used in response to online attacks by Chinese nationalists against a Thai celebrity who appeared to have slighted Beijing by calling Taiwan a country.
Taiwan is a self-governing democratic island off the south-east coast of mainland China, which claims it as a breakaway province. The use of the hashtag has again increased since the February coup in Myanmar.
“During times of civil unrests or violent crackdowns, it is more important than ever for the public to have access to the#Open Internet for real-time updates, credible information, and essential services,” the social media giant tweeted.
The Milk Tea Alliance sprang from a Twitter war that flared after Chinese nationalists accused a young Thai actor and his girlfriend of supporting democracy in Hong Kong and Taiwanese independence.
It is named after a shared passion for sweet tea drinks in the three places.
Use of the hashtag peaked again in February after the military coup in Myanmar, where protesters using the hashtag rallied regional support.
“We have seen more than 11 million Tweets featuring the #MilkTeaAlliance hashtag over the past year,” Twitter said in an announcement that pushed the hashtag to among the top trending in Thailand, Hong Kong and Taiwan on Thursday.
Previously, Twitter launched emojis for #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter movements.
The Twitter emoji showed global recognition and lent greater credibility to the youth movement, said prominent Thai activist Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal, one of the alliance’s leading voices.
“It’s important as it shows the young people fighting for democracy that the world is with them and they’re making an impact,” Netiwit said. “It’s a sign that online activism can go much further.”
Twitter is blocked in China and its apparent endorsement of a movement with a strong current of opposition to Beijing was unlikely to hurt its business, said James Buchanan, a lecturer at Bangkok’s Mahidol University International College. — Reuters
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
