Overview

The impact of the internet and social media tools on authoritarian regimes and would be revolutionaries remains a hotly debated topic even after a decade of widespread internet access. This paper argues that dissidents' use of the Internet and social media tools undermines authoritarian power, however the state will likely retain the advantage. First, to frame the argument, it is useful to examine past information communication technologies (ICT) by exploring their nature, uses, and impacts on states and society. Secondly, the historical overview enables a more insightful examination into the nature, potential uses and debate over the usefulness of the internet and social media in undermining authoritarianism. Thirdly, a discussion of the online tit for tat between authoritarian regimes and disgruntled masses in China and Syria reveals several offensive and defensive uses as well as challenges in gaining an online advantage. Finally, these cases combined with the historical lens lead to key points for consideration as U.S. policy makers actively promote the spread of democracy via the internet and social media.This compilation includes a reproduction of the 2019 Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community.The impact of the internet and social media tools on authoritarian regimes and would be revolutionaries remains a hotly debated topic even after a decade of widespread internet access. On one side of the debate, utopians believe these technologies facilitate cultural understanding, peace, prosperity and the spread democracy. The skeptics contend that the angry masses conduct revolutions and the usefulness of the internet and social media in defeating authoritarianism is just hype. 1 These binary views fail to consider a more complex reality in which authoritarian regimes and dissidents engage in an online tit for tat to gain an advantage offline. This paper argues that dissidents' use of the Internet and social media tools undermines authoritarian power, however the state will likely retain the advantage. First, to frame the argument, it is useful to examine past information communication technologies (ICT) by exploring their nature, uses, and impacts on states and society. Secondly, the historical overview enables a more insightful examination into the nature, potential uses and debate over the usefulness of the internet and social media in undermining authoritarianism. Thirdly, a discussion of the online tit for tat between authoritarian regimes and disgruntled masses in China and Syria reveals several offensive and defensive uses as well as challenges in gaining an online advantage. Finally, these cases combined with the historical lens lead to key points for consideration as U.S. policy makers actively promote the spread of democracy via the internet and social media.

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