Discord’s Role in Nepal’s Gen Z Protest: From Gaming App to Political Platform
14th September 2025, Kathmandu
The political landscape of Nepal has been irrevocably altered, not by traditional political parties or backroom deals, but by a decentralized, youth-led movement that found its home on an unexpected platform: Discord.
Nepal Gen Z Protests Discord
In an unprecedented turn of events, the popular gaming chat app, once dubbed “Slack for Gamers,” became the nerve center for a digital uprising that unseated a government and saw the informal election of former Supreme Court justice, Sushila S. Karki, as the nation’s interim Prime Minister.
Karki, a 73-year-old former chief justice and the first woman to hold the post, was sworn in on Friday (September 12), bringing a temporary calm after a week of deadly violence that had led to the resignation of the KP Sharma Oli government.
The country, now in a state of political transition, is set to hold general elections on March 5, 2026. The manner of her appointment, however, has captivated the world and shines a spotlight on the power of digital platforms in modern political movements.
The Spark: A Social Media Ban and Gen Z’s Anger
The turmoil began as a social media protest, fueled by public anger over corruption and the ostentatious lifestyles of what protesters termed “nepo kids”—children of the political elite.
This simmering discontent reached a boiling point when Prime Minister Oli’s government announced a sweeping ban on all social media applications that failed to comply with its rules.
The move, widely seen as an attempt to stifle dissent, ignited a wave of violent protests across the country. Security forces responded with tear gas and live ammunition, leading to the deaths of at least 51 people and injuring over 1,300, according to Reuters.
The protests, now a full-blown uprising, saw demonstrators setting fire to government buildings and politicians’ residences, including the parliament itself.
In the wake of this chaos and the subsequent resignation of the government, a power vacuum emerged. With no central leadership, the protesters, largely comprised of Generation Z, turned to the very digital tools the government had tried to silence.
Discord’s Evolution: From Gaming Hub to Political Forum
Founded in 2015 by Jason Citron and Stanislav Vishnevskiy, Discord was initially created to solve a problem in the online gaming community: fragmented and poor-quality communication tools.
The platform offers instant messaging and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) capabilities, allowing users to communicate through text, voice, video, and media sharing. Its core features include:
- Servers: Virtual community chat rooms accessible by invitation, allowing users to create specialized spaces for specific topics—from gaming to politics.
- Channels: Specific chat rooms within a server, used to organize written discussions or spoken conversations.
- Roles: A system for assigning permissions to members, enabling robust moderation and community management.
- Screen Sharing: A feature typically used by gamers to stream their gameplay, which was later adapted by users for communal activities like watch parties.
The COVID-19 pandemic saw Discord’s user base diversify beyond its initial gaming community, with younger generations using it as a primary social hub. Its design—decentralized and with a low barrier to entry—made it the perfect tool for the loosely organized Nepali protest movement.
The Digital Parliament: How the Vote Unfolded
As the protests gained momentum, one particular Discord server, swelling to over 100,000 members, became the focal point of the movement.
Its discussions were so influential that they were reportedly broadcast on Nepalese national television and livestreamed on news sites. “The Parliament of Nepal right now is Discord,” said Sid Ghimiri, a 23-year-old content creator, as quoted by The New York Times.
The server was managed by members of Hami Nepal, a local NGO with a history of mobilizing support for relief efforts. With the military exercising de facto control of the country, the organizers were tasked with finding a potential interim leader.
A fresh high school graduate and channel moderator, Shaswot Lamichhane, explained that the goal was to “simulate a kind of mini-election” to propose a candidate who could oversee the upcoming elections.
Despite the platform’s chaos, which included repeated hijacking by trolls and non-Nepalese citizens, the community deliberated on several potential candidates. After a series of informal polls and spirited discussions, a consensus formed around Sushila S. Karki.
Her reputation for integrity and her history as a strict, anti-corruption chief justice made her the most popular choice among the youth movement.
Her name was then proposed in meetings with the army chiefs. On Thursday, Karki’s appointment was approved by President Ram Chandra Poudel and General Ashok Raj Sigdel, the Army chief, a monumental decision that confirmed the protest movement’s unprecedented influence.
This event marks a significant moment in the history of digital activism, demonstrating how a platform designed for gaming and casual communication can be repurposed into a powerful tool for political change.
The story of Nepal’s Gen Z protests and the role of Discord serves as a compelling case study on how technology is reshaping democracy and empowering the voices of a new generation.
For more: Nepal Gen Z Protests Discord
