“You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things!” That’s how the crowd is berated in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Many in power continue to perceive the vast majority of ordinary people in a similar way.

Karl Marx attempted to give back authority to what he called “the masses.” A hundred years later, cultural theorist Raymond Williams challenged the one-size-fits-all term. He proposed, “There are in fact no masses; there are only ways of seeing people as masses” — a way of perceiving and categorising large groups of people, often in a negative or dismissive way, by denying their diverse natures and ability to think and make individual choices. Today, in the age of digital sharing, people in power are challenged to contain the extraordinary ‘ordinary’ populations into any simple category.

The powerful few have, across the ages, always kept a watchful eye on the vast lower segments of society because, without their support, rulers become vulnerable, and industrialists and businesses cannot succeed. Systems such as democracy are presented as channels for the public to feel part of governance, although increasingly it feels like a placebo.

In ancient Athens, the birthplace of democracy, while Aristotle stated, “He who loses the support of the people is a king no longer”, the definition of the public was limited to 10 to 15 percent of the population of free adult males who owned property. Plato believed that society should be governed by philosopher-kings whose wisdom far exceeded the knowledge and intellectual capabilities of the general population.

From Martin Luther to Maula Jatt, people have persistently resisted elite control over information and culture — even more so in today’s digital age

However, the general population is no longer what it was in Plato’s time. Society has changed in unprecedented ways as people become more educated and better informed. Populations in the digital age have access to far more than what traditional newspapers and television programming have on offer, both of which are restrained by those holding political or intellectual power. People can choose their own sources of information and the platforms for their opinions to be heard have increased manifold with social media.

Society has always had its own mechanism of sharing information by side-stepping the many control barriers. Even in the 16th century, the Ninety-five Theses of Martin Luther, the founder of the Protestant Reformation, took only two months to spread throughout Europe. Despite attempts to silence poets Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Habib Jalib and Ahmed Faraz, their verses continued to be shared by people. Sultan Rahi’s film Maula Jatt was initially banned, but it became an iconic symbol in the eyes of the public and has even become part of the Urdu lexicon.

Author of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling, was initially rejected by no less than 12 publishing houses. Today, her books have been translated into 80 languages. The films Star Wars and Titanic, or even 3 Idiots, were dismissed by film critics, but they amassed a great fan following across the world.

Impressionist and post-Impressionist art was ridiculed by the art establishment but, by the mid-20th century, ordinary people were flocking to exhibitions and Van Gogh’s Starry Night is one of the highest selling art posters for those who cannot afford to buy art. Mexican artist Frida Kahlo was ‘discovered’ 30 years after her death, becoming a strong symbol of the feminist movement, with her paintings now printed on many everyday products. Public protest can also shut down exhibitions, and the Black Lives Matter movement led to the removal of statues of statesmen associated with slavery.

There are 5.24 billion people worldwide using social media. Viral videos spread across the globe, leading to some starting careers in music. Others generate copycat memes across the world, such as the latest of 11-year-old Rayyan dancing on the bow of an Indonesian racing boat. The court of the people can also go horribly wrong. Sharing misinformation or celebrity gossip has destroyed many lives.

Which song or film or meme tops the charts, becomes a box office hit, or goes viral, remains a mystery that puzzles sociologists and marketing professionals.

The attorney Sanjay Kelly writes, “Many states, concerned with the power of the new medium to bring about political change, have stepped up their efforts to control and suppress information posted online, in increasingly sinister ways.” Despite the tussle, we have entered an age where people are not prepared to be led by leaders or world powers they no longer respect.

With massive rallies held to admonish governments supporting the genocide in Gaza, or spontaneous chants at football stadiums to support Palestine, we are witnessing citizen advocacy at a global scale far beyond the 1960s’ anti-war protests. It reflects a generation that wants to become a catalyst for positive change.

Durriya Kazi is a Karachi-based artist.
She may be reached at
durriyakazi1918@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, EOS, August 3rd, 2025