As a wave of student-led protests swept India last week, Satvik Soni spent hours buried on Instagram broadcasting protest locations, explaining detainees’ rights and calling on demonstrators to report police misconduct. His tersely worded posts quickly racked up tens of thousands of views.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government struggled to catch up. As the movement gained steam, Modi’s allies took to X and WhatsApp, accusing the movement of being backed by foreign forces. They blocked the Cockroach Janta Party’s main account on X and cut internet access at gathering spots, following a playbook New Delhi has used to quash unrest in Kashmir and other hotspots.

It didn’t work. Fueled by tongue-in-cheek memes and viral reels of a police crackdown, India’s Generation Z protesters outmaneuvered Modi online at virtually every turn, calling into question the Indian leader’s longstanding dominance of the country’s digital landscape — instrumental in propelling him to power 12 years ago, and in helping him maintain control since.