The Rise of #SEAblings: A New Form of Regional Solidarity
The hashtag #SEAblings, short for “Southeast Asian siblings,” has gained significant traction among young people in the region. It is often used to express a sense of solidarity over various issues, ranging from cultural events to political matters. This phenomenon has sparked discussions about whether these moments are just fleeting trends or if they can evolve into a more sustained movement.
The latest surge in the use of #SEAblings followed a dispute over camera rules at a K-pop concert in Kuala Lumpur. This incident led to a broader online clash between fans from Southeast Asia and South Korea, highlighting the complexities of regional relationships. For some sociologists, the question isn’t whether the quarrel mattered, but what the response of young Southeast Asians suggests about how they see themselves.
Iim Halimatusa’diyah, a visiting senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute’s regional social and cultural studies programme, described #SEAblings as “an articulation of a growing regional identity” among this generation. She emphasized that while young people didn’t discover Southeast Asia as a collective identity overnight, digital platforms have made it possible for this identity to be performed, shared, and amplified.
The hashtag gained traction after footage circulated showing a person associated with a Korean fansite using professional camera equipment at a South Korean rock band Day6’s show in Kuala Lumpur on January 31, despite rules prohibiting such devices. What started as a complaint about concert etiquette quickly escalated into a heated exchange between Southeast Asian and South Korean fans, with posts trading jabs over appearance, wealth, and cultural traits.
Some Southeast Asian users argued that fans in the region had helped propel K-pop to global prominence, pushing back against posts questioning why they could not “support their own.” Screenshots shared across several social media platforms showed demeaning comparisons and stereotypes on both sides, and users began referring to the episode as “SEAblings versus K-netz,” shorthand for Korean netizens.
But the Day6 dispute was not the first time #SEAblings had been used. In August last year, the hashtag gained wide use during protests in Indonesia following the death of a 21-year-old motorcycle taxi driver, Affan Kurniawan, who was run over by a police vehicle at a rally in Jakarta.
As anger mounted online, users in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines began posting screenshots of orders made through ride-hailing apps for deliveries of food to Indonesian drivers and protesters they had never met to show their support for them. Writing in The Conversation, Amorisa Wiratri of the National University of Singapore and Sugiyanto of Edith Cowan University said the movement “grew organically, driven by voluntary participation, and spread rapidly,” with online users across the region amplifying the hashtag.
For Halimatusa’diyah, the Indonesian episode and the Day6 dispute point to broader shifts in how young people in the region view themselves, with increasing inclination to echo a collective stance in certain matters. She referenced a report by ISEAS on youth and civic engagement, which found that online interactions were expanding the interest of young Southeast Asians in issues beyond their own countries.
“This type of regionalism, in my opinion, is informal rather than institutional or ideological. #SEAblings develop from below, influenced by youth internet culture, and shared experiences of being racialised as Southeast Asian on global digital spaces, in contrast to Asean-style regionalism, which is elite-driven and bureaucratic,” she said.
The Day6 flare-up became a focal point for posts describing those shared experiences. In 2023, 2.67 million tourists from Southeast Asia visited South Korea, which its tourism ministry attributed to the popularity of Korean popular culture in the region. Despite their affinity for South Korea or its entertainers, some users wrote about being looked down upon when travelling, studying, or working in the East Asian country.
“One major factor of the Southeast Asian unity in this is the collective racism some of us felt from SK from our travel and working experiences,” one user wrote on social media. Others have even called for Southeast Asian tourists to boycott South Korea.
Another post framed the hashtag in familial terms. “SEAblings will bicker like legit siblings over the silliest little things … but when one country comes for one of us … we WILL collectively go to war for our brothers and sisters in Southeast Asia,” a user wrote.
Veronica Gregorio, a sociology lecturer at the National University of Singapore, said the SEAblings phenomenon did not necessarily mean it would evolve into sustained regional solidarity in the online space, as typically it was driven by specific events and could be “quick to rise and subside.” For this to be more than a digital spark, we’d need to see sustained, structured connections across Southeast Asia.
“I think across Southeast Asia, many young people still value things like family ties and filial piety. But, of course, religion plays a stronger role in some places. At the same time, it’s often economic conditions that really shape what young people do,” she said.
Halimatusa’diyah pointed to “common histories of colonisation, scepticism towards elites, rapid modernisation, economic growth, inequality, and global experiences of being underestimated or stereotyped” as factors shaping a shared generational outlook. These commonalities stem from parallel political and economic challenges experienced by a generation growing up in an unequal and hyperconnected region.
Gregorio said while young people had been savvy in harnessing the potential of online platforms, for the movement to sustain itself, “real solidarity can’t stay just online.” For young Southeast Asians to have “real solidarity,” they have to move from online platforms to real-world stages to form enduring connections.
“We need solid organisations on the ground. That could start with universities or youth-led NGOs, spaces where young voices aren’t just online, but have legal and actual room to meet together, take a lead and plan or act,” she said. “That’s how this kind of regional solidarity can grow into something more lasting.”
