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Cited by 157Political Conflict and GovernanceSocial Media and PoliticsMedia Influence and Politics

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The Internet and Political Protest in Autocracies

Weidmann, Nils B., Rød, Espen Geelmuyden·2019·Oxford University Press eBooks
DOI 10.1093/oso/9780190918309.001.0001
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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.

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Metadata

Authors
Weidmann, N. B., & Rød, E. G.
ORCID
Venue
Oxford University Press eBooks
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Published
2019-09-19
DOI
10.1093/oso/9780190918309.001.0001
OpenAlex
W2973551893
Cited by
157
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 29 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 5
FWCI
17.99
Type
book
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
Oxford University Press eBooks (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Political Conflict and Governance
  • Social Sciences › Communication › Social Media and Politics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Media Influence and Politics
Keywords
internet, political protest, authoritarian regimes, internet penetration, digital repression, political mobilization, protest diffusion, information and communication technologies, cities

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