Online and Offline Repression in Electoral Autocracies

• In Event: 'Invisible' Protest-Repression? Exploring Hard-to-Measure Interactions/Outcomes

Abstract

An influential scholarship shows that contemporary autocrats respond to dissent using a combination of online and offline repression. Yet, we know little about the relationship between online and offline responses to protest in electoral autocracies. To gain traction on this question, we investigate the Russian government’s response to anti-corruption protests taking place throughout 2017, and social media users’ response to government repression on the ground. Offline, we analyze strategies of preventive repression, such as officially denying permissions for demonstrations, as well as responsive repression, such as arrests of protesters. On- line, we study the social media activity of accounts belonging to the Prime Minister, the Kremlin, and members of the Russian opposition, as well as their followers. We present preliminary results that show important variation in online and offline strategies adopted in anticipation of, and in response to opposition protests. Our results also suggest that different types of offline repression can have varying effects on online engagement with opposition accounts. The results have important implications for our understanding of authoritarian resilience in the context of increasingly networked protest.

Authors

• Katerina Tertytchnaya, University College London

• Anita R. Gohdes, Hertie School