Description
Book SynopsisDoes the Internet fundamentally change the flow of politically relevant information, even in authoritarian regimes? If so, does it alter the attitudes and behavior of citizens? While there is a fair amount of research exploring how social media has empowered social actors to challenge authoritarian regimes, there is much less addressing whether and how the state can actively shape the flow of information to its advantage. In China, for instance, citizens often resort to rightful resistance to lodge complaints and defend rights. By using the rhetoric of the central government, powerless citizens may exploit the slim political opportunity structure and negotiate with the state for better governance. But this tactic also reinforces the legitimacy of authoritarian states; citizens engage rightful resistance precisely because they trust the state, at least the central government, to some degree. Drawing on original survey data and rich qualitative sources, Directed Digital Dissidence in Aut
Table of ContentsChapter 1 - The China Case: Strong State, Popular Contention, and the Internet Chapter 2 -The Chinese Internet: Citizen Awareness of Government Control Chapter 3 - What Does Directed Digital Dissidence Look Like? Critical Information Flows, Trust, and Support for Protest Chapter 4 - Social Media: The Battleground of the Information War Chapter 5 - Jumping Over the Great Firewall: A Threat to the Chinese Strategy Chapter 6 - The Digital Dissident Citizen: Who are the Wall Jumpers? Chapter 7 - Managing the Information War: Voices Heard from Beyond the Wall are Lost Chapter 8 - Digital Directed Dissidence in Action: Applications and its Limits Chapter 9 - Will Digital Directed Dissidence Keep Working? Appendices Notes References Index
