Internet freedom & political space / / Olesya Tkacheva [and five others].

• VerfasserIn: Tkacheva, Olesya.
• Author: Tkacheva, Olesya,
• TeilnehmendeR: Tkacheva, Olesya,
• Place / Publishing House: Santa Monica, CA : : RAND Corporation,, 2013.
• Year of Publication: 2013
• Language: English
• Series: Gale eBooks
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (xxiv, 261 pages) :; illustrations
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

The Internet is a new battleground between governments that censor online content and those who advocate freedom for all to browse, post, and share information online. This report examines how Internet freedom may transform state-society relations in nondemocratic regimes, using case studies of China, Egypt, Russia, and Syria, and also draws parallels between Internet freedom and Radio Free Europe programs during the Cold War.

Table of Contents

Cover; Title Page; Copyright; Preface; Contents; Figures and Tables; Summary; Acknowledgments; Abbreviations; CHAPTER ONE: Introduction: The Autocratic Challenge and Internet Freedom; Political Space and the Internet; Styles of Repression; Introduction to Internet Freedom Programs; Organization of the Report; CHAPTER TWO: The Internet and Political Process in Different Regimes; Is the Internet Transforming Politics? Where and How?; Cyberactivism in Democratic and Nondemocratic Regimes; How and Where Can Internet Freedom (Technologies) Transform Political Space?

Political Communication and Social MobilizationInternet Freedom and Framing Process; Key Actors in Cyberspace; Bloggers, Netizens, and Political Space; Web 2.0 Users and Political Space; Online Activists and Political Space; Internet Freedom and the Modes of Transformation of Political Space; Conclusion; CHAPTER THREE: Cyberactivists, Social Media, and the Anti-Mubarak Protests in Egypt; Social Media's Significance: The Debate; Cyberenthusiasts; Cyber-Killjoys; How Social Media Bridged Egypt's Mobilization Gaps

Social Media Was the Opposition's Only Tool for Reaching and Mobilizing a Mass BaseNo Other Opposition Force Would Confront the State with Mass Action; Military Considered Defection Only After Demonstrations Grew and It Was Forced to Either Shoot or Remove Mubarak; Conclusion: What This Means for the Study of Social Media; CHAPTER FOUR: Internet Freedom and Political Change in Syria; Internet Usage by the Numbers; Internet Censorship; Use of the Internet in the Syrian Uprising; Circumvention Technologies During the Protests; Regime Adaptation; External Dimensions

How Internet Freedom Affected Political Change in SyriaCHAPTER FIVE: The Internet in China: Threatened Tool of Expression and Mobilization; Netizens and Authorities in Cyberspace; Censorship and Circumvention Methods; Online Activists and Authorities in Political Space; Online Mobilization and Policy Outcomes; Wenzhou Train Crash; Dalian Chemical Plant; Internet and Popular Mobilization in Rural Areas; Ethnic Riots and the Internet; Internet Freedom Technologies: Tools for the Motivated Elites or Mass-Use Technologies?

CHAPTER SIX: Fighting Electoral Fraud in the 2011 Russian Election with Internet and Social MediaCritical Information and Postelection Protests; RuNet: Russian Internet; Russian Authorities and Cyberactivists; Golos and Online Election Fraud Reporting; Golos and Citizens' Whistle-Blowing; Electoral Fraud, Social Media, and Post-Election Protests; Social Media and Voter Mobilization; Conclusion; CHAPTER SEVEN: Information Freedom During the Cold War: The Impact of Western Radio Broadcasts; Short-Term and Long-Term Objectives of RFE/RL

Measuring the Size of RFE/RL Audiences and Determining Its Effectiveness