It does not need to be violent if enough people participate. The orange revolution in Ukraine is a fine example. Large groups of people who sit in agreement and simply refuse to obey any instructions are a huge problem for anyone except a totalitarian government like the Chinese in Tiannamen Square, or the Iranians a few years ago.
If the idea goes viral, and huge numbers of people reject the legitimacy of a government, and everything is right out there in broad daylight, government falls into paralysis.
Guns and insurrection is what government lives for, they can justify all kinds of actions when that happens.
Well said.