You can watch Adam Curtis’ Century of the Self documentary. It’s about the rise of modern “Public Relations” and the systemization and proffessionalization of propoganda by corporations and governments.

Teenagers are quite capable of doing what you said and organizing their outrage when they really feel like it. That doesn’t mean, however, that there aren’t also vast political and social machines working to aid, defeat, or co-opt the students’ cause. And I say this as someone who agrees with the students.