Persistent connection and participation: New media use in post-peace movement Ambon, Indonesia

The use of new media platforms has been evident in social movements at local, regional, and international levels. Many studies have shown that these platforms are tools to mobilize resources, facilitate coordination and information sharing, and access a wider audience. These studies, however, have been situated in the periods when the movements rise and peak, giving little attention to the use of such platforms in the post-movement phase. Based on interviews and participant observation of a peace movement in Ambon, Indonesia, this research found that the peace movement actors use Facebook, Twitter, Path, WhatsApp, SMS, and mobile phones for maintaining existing relationships, reanimating memories, keeping up with current movements, amplifying ongoing movements, and sharing new grievances. The platforms provide the actors with opportunities to sustain their existing networks. Hence, the movement persists and influences later movements. The findings offer the potential to better understand the continuity and change of technologically enabled social movements.