Comparative Approaches to the Many Faces of Digital Authoritarianism

Abstract

Much research on digital authoritarianism focuses primarily on either specific practices or a limited number of cases; existing works also rarely compare the practices of digital authoritarianism in different types of political regimes. This lack of comparative insight impedes a holistic understanding of the impact of digital authoritarianism on politics. For instance, variations in Internet regulation can result from differences in the extent to which the rule of law exists in democratic and authoritarian regimes; they can also stem from the unique features of each political system, the historical context of the development of national Internet segments, and cultural and economic factors. Comparatively exploring these factors and the variations of digital authoritarianism in democracies and non-democracies can help provide a more nuanced account of digital authoritarian practices and identify possible future trajectories for new forms of digital authoritarianism. This panel focuses on the comparative study of digital authoritarianism.

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