النشاط الرقمي داخل المجتمع القبطي في أميركا الشمالية
Studies 20 April, 2026

Digital Activism within the Coptic Community in North America: New Transnational Opportunities or Emerging Threats?

Lilian Estafanous

​Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies​​

​​acrobat Icon​This study critically examines the dual impact of digital technologies on the political agency of the Coptic diaspora, emphasizing both the opportunities and limitations posed by Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Digital platforms have enhanced diaspora visibility, resource mobilization, and transnational activism, but they also introduce major risks, including misinformation, censorship, and surveillance. These growing challenges have hindered the diaspora’s ability to navigate power structures, reducing the effectiveness of advocacy efforts. The study argues that the drawbacks of digital activism now outweigh its initial benefits, creating new constraints on Coptic political influence. In light of these pressures, it calls for a reassessment of how diaspora groups can sustain activism in an increasingly hostile digital landscape​.

* This review was publishe​d in the 20​th issue of AlMuntaqa​, a peer-reviewed academic journal for the social sciences and humanities. You can read the full paper h​ere.