A tricky social media polarisation is emerging in Nepal. How will the government handle it?

For a government benefiting from digital populism, navigating social media challenges will be tough.

When the KP Sharma Oli government cracked down on social media platforms last year, it triggered a massive uprising that eventually toppled his government and displaced the old guards from Nepal’s power centre. While the underlying public frustration stemmed from political stagnation, rampant corruption and a lack of visible economic growth and employment opportunity, a crucial issue that remains overlooked is the role of big tech companies and social media in societies like Nepal’s. This article examines some aspects of social media in the current socio-political context.