The Newsletter 70 Spring 2015

Epilogue. Doing umbrella sociology

Beatrice Oi-yeung Lam

From the July 1st mass rally in 2003 to the Umbrella Movement, social activism empowers Hongkongers as citizens. The new media is often credited for how it pluralizes discourses and mobilizes action. Nonetheless, virtual communities remain susceptible to tendencies to exclude rather than include. This mirrors the apprehension towards diversity in the larger political society, rife with demonizing personal attacks that serve no more than to name and shame.