Asian Angle | Nepal found out what Thailand already knew: digital repression is risky
The tactics vary, from Myanmar’s internet blackouts to Indonesia’s subtler control, but the results are the same: resentment and resistance
Such actions rarely amount to mere censorship or content moderation; rather, they form part of a broader arsenal of digital repression.
States now routinely deploy surveillance, disinformation, targeted arrests and disruptions to connectivity to shape the public information sphere and discourse.
But the effectiveness of these measures hinges on the state’s ability to calibrate its actions, particularly in terms of timing, scope and the constituencies affected. Overreach is often self-defeating, breeding backlash rather than reinforcing control.
Of all methods, the blunt instrument of banning platforms is uniquely risky.
Social media is social reality
In times of heightened anxiety and uncertainty, people increasingly turn to social media for connection, comfort, entertainment and as a means of escape from the harshness of daily life.