The Networked Autocracy in Türkiye: Understanding the Strategies of Participatory Censorship

Contemporary research on networked authoritarianism emphasizes that it primarily relies on propaganda, participatory and selective censorship, and targeted repression to regulate public debate and information access. Strategic management of information and expression results in selective censorship, where politically influential groups or individuals face criminalization or repression, while other groups experience limited criticism. Additionally, literature demonstrates that participatory censorship methods, such as self-censorship, peer monitoring, and algorithm-driven chilling effects, develop within societies. The participatory aspect of censorship can be understood through the framework of networked authoritarianism, where regulated platforms, infrastructural control, and intentionally maintained uncertainty shape digital interactions. This study explores self-censorship dynamics in Turkey within the context of networked authoritarianism. Turkey’s recent democratic decline has shifted toward competitive authoritarianism, with widespread media control and increased digital repression highlighted by Law No. 5651 and disinformation regulations, creating a political environment based on surveillance and uncertainty. The threat of criminalization and legal ambiguities may serve as deterrents in users’ online posting behavior. In this context, citizens anticipate risks even in the absence of direct punishments, making self-censorship a key means of maintaining control. Thus, this research focuses on the reasons, strategies, and emotional factors behind self-censorship to understand its emotional character within networked authoritarianism while highlighting the challenges and limitations of studying self-censorship in autocratic settings. We will conduct 60 in-depth interviews with a diverse group of participants with varying political and gender identities, cultural or ethnic backgrounds, influence expression patterns, and self-restraint, to understand how perceptions of surveillance, uncertainty, selective punishment, and various forms of censorship affect the visible and invisible pressures individuals face when sharing political opinions on social media. We aim to uncover why people continue to share political content despite digital repression, highlighting resilience, motivation, and changes in participation as reflections of suppression and everyday resistance. Preliminary findings suggest that participants are aware of their tendency to censor themselves and tend to do so when discussing self-censorship. Studying censorship, emotion, and silence requires attention to how emotional climates impact communication restraint. Research shows that self-censorship is not only a strategic choice but also an embodied, emotional experience marked by anxiety, anticipation, and vulnerability. Silence stems from fears of surveillance, moral condemnation, or social sanctions and becomes a patterned response in highly visible environments where consequences are uncertain. Rather than representing a lack of speech, silence functions as a meaningful signal of threat, care, or resistance. Recognizing these dynamics reveals how affective pressures influence participation, and redefine public expression norms.