The Milk Tea Alliance and the Rise of Networked Power in Resisting Digital Authoritarianism and China's Expanding Digital Sphere in South East Asia

This paper argues that youth-led civic resistance in Southeast Asia of the Milk Tea Alliance, is reconfigure the power dynamics against the spread of digital authoritarianism and China's expanding technological influence in the region. Drawing on digital authoritarianism and networked power, the study argues that civic resistance is being reconfigured by both transnational solidarities and techno-political constraints. The research synthesizes insights from case studies and the activities of Milk Tea Alliance members in Myanmar, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia. It illuminates that digitally-native youth are leveraging online platforms for political expression, mobilization, and transnational solidarity while simultaneously confronting algorithmic suppression, digital inequality, platform manipulation, and state-sponsored disinformation. The paper highlights that while China's Digital Silk Road initiative exports surveillance infrastructure and governance models that bolster state control, the Milk Tea Alliance demonstrates a resilient networked counterpower.