The Internet and Political Protest in Autocracies

Abstract

In the aftermath of recent popular uprisings in dictatorships, many observers argued that information and communication technologies, notably the Internet, played a key role in the mobilization of political protest. This book unpacks when and under which circumstances Internet technology can benefit opposition activists aiming to mobilize protests, and when the technology plays into the hands of autocratic governments. Since autocratic governments enjoy a high degree of control over the introduction and expansion of Internet technology and over digital communication ows, the book argues that it should help them keep levels of protest low in the long-term. However, once protest has started, short-term government intervention becomes more difficult, which is why Internet technology can catalyze ongoing episodes of unrest. The book presents detailed empirical analyses of the relationship between the use of Internet technology and protest in autocracies. By leveraging new sub-national data on political protest and Internet penetration, these analysis cover more than sixty autocratic countries at the level of cities. The results show that higher levels of Internet penetration in cities reduce the overall occurrence of protest in dictatorships, but once protest has started, the Internet contributes to the continuation of protest in the same city as well as its diffusion to other locations. By examining the use of the Internet by governments in relation to other means of autocratic repression, the book also demonstrates the technological modernization of autocratic politics, where digital repression via the Internet partly substitutes traditional forms of political control.

Learning about principles or prospects for success? An experimental analysis of information support for nonviolent resistance

“…Nowadays, due to the presence of online social media platforms, news on political dissent and resistance methods can travel across the world in a few minutes. Even opposition groups in autocratic countries, where media freedom is limited, can hear about and learn from foreign anti-government movements (Weidmann and Rød, 2019). Therefore, if a group of discontented citizens learn that the people in another country, especially a neighboring one with cultural similarities, use nonviolent resistance, we expect that they will show more interest in nonviolent resistance and are more likely to emulate it.…”

Illusion of control: how internet use generates anti-regime sentiment in authoritarian regimes

“…Second, I explain how internet use challenges regimes by focusing on citizens' ideas of the regime in power. Recent research suggests that rising internet use in authoritarian regimes reduces the likelihood of anti-government protest (Weidmann & Rød, 2019) while having no effect on the prospect of democratisation (Weidmann & Rød, 2015). My article shows that internet use still challenges authoritarian regimes, yet in a less dramatic, visible way than through (directly) facilitating the overthrow of the regime or igniting mass protest.…”

How Dictators Control the Internet: A Review Essay

“…Autocrats actively disseminate information in their favor, and while we know that propaganda may inhibit collective action (Huang, 2018), we do not know whether the recipients of these digital messages actually believe this information. Similarly, evidence also suggests that increased internet coverage reduces mobilization (Weidmann & Rød, 2019), but we again do not know whether this is because of the intentional use of digital tactics by governments.…”

“…Xu (2020) shows how digital interference helps the government to refine its conventional tools of repression and cooptation. Weidmann and Rød (2019) study the effect of internet technology on mobilization for protest and analyze how conventional tactics (violent repression of protest) interact with online mobilization. While these are first steps, future research needs to tackle these questions head-on.…”