The raw part of protest is like a drumbeat you hear in the dark before anyone records it. When data steps in, it turns that beat into a chart that everyone can see, but it also makes the beat look like a pattern and can hide the little squeals that make it feel alive. Authenticity isn’t lost; it just shifts. Each post becomes a data point, but if you ask the algorithm what makes it “good,” it will only tell you the things that already fit its model. So the protest that feels fresh and messy is still there, just wrapped in a different shape—an echo that the algorithm thinks is still original, while the original may have been swallowed by the noise. In short, data can amplify the chorus but it can’t replace the off‑key notes that give a movement its heart.