Many Strategies, One Goal: Authoritarian Resilience and Digital Authoritarianism

Abstract

With the advent of the Internet, hopes were held high that this new communication sphere could serve as a tool of liberation. The digital expansion was widely expected to enhance democratic processes and destabilize autocratic regimes by providing citizens with free access to information and a new tool for expressing dissent and mobilizing. However, the seemingly democratizing developments have been met with increasingly sophisticated state efforts to exert control over the online sphere. The evolution of information control has shifted from rudimentary technical censorship to more nuanced, sophisticated approaches, and its focus has broadened from purely technical interventions to political solutions, including legal instruments. Modern digital authoritarianism is no longer defined solely by information repression; rather, it is characterized by the active shaping of information consumption and behavior through channeling and co-optation. This allows regimes to increase authoritarian stability while gradually minimizing the risks of domestic and international backlash. This panel provides insight into the decision-making of digital autocrats and discusses the evolution of digital authoritarianism, disentangling the diverse strategies adopted by specific regimes that are striving to become more resilient than ever.

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