Ted Henken: How Social Media Fuels the Protests in Cuba

Historically massive protests in Cuba are underwritten by social media and the internet, which only came to Cuba in a big way in late 2018, when President Miguel Diaz-Canel allowed citizens access to data plans on their cellphones.

To better understand exactly how Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, and other social media platforms are connecting and the Cuban people and undermining state control, Nick Gillespie speaks with Ted Henken, who teaches sociology and Latin American studies at City University of New York's Baruch College and is the co-editor of the collection Cuba's Digital Revolution. He explains the near-term and long-term implications of the recent protests, how the United States might respond, and the potential—and limits—of the internet when it comes to challenging an authoritarian government that has held power for over 60 years.