Technology of Freedom or Tool of Oppression? Facebook, citizen participation, and authoritarian adaptation in Cambodia

Abstract

The proliferation of Facebook in Cambodia in the early 2010s initially triggered a sense of optimism that the platform could empower prodemocratic movements and ordinary citizens at the expense of the authority of the state. Within a few years, however, that early hope seems to have waned, replaced by a growing concern that Facebook was assisting the state to intensify repression and extend its rule. This thesis aims to provide empirical evidence that broadens our understanding of the implications of Facebook use on Cambodia’s political life, for both the state and everyday citizens. Building on the scholarly debate over the effects of social media on politics in non-permissive political settings, this thesis seeks to develop a theoretical framework that can better account for the evolving interactions and balance of power between citizens and authoritarian governments in the context of a global information and communications technology revolution. Using a mixed method research approach, this study resulted in three key findings. First, the advent of Facebook has empowered everyday Cambodians by broadening their political interest, knowledge and involvement. Second, the platform has proved advantageous to the authoritarian Cambodian regime, not only allowing it to better assess and, address citizens' views and concerns, but also enhancing its ability to control its agents, monitor dissent, communicate with citizens, and promote its narratives. Third, Facebook constitutes a novel space in which the government and ordinary people interact to advance their own interests. Sometimes, the interaction between the state and citizens is mutually beneficial. At others, power competition characterizes this relationship, resulting in continuous and reciprocal transformations of some aspects of state practices as well as citizens' political attitudes and behaviors. These findings indicate that the relationship between the advent of social media and political change in nondemocracies is multifaceted and that the dichotomous “optimist vs skeptic” debate over whether social media empowers citizens or the state is overly simplistic. As a consequence, a theoretical lens that balances and synthesizes the two opposing perspectives offers a more nuanced framework to capture the relationship between social media and political transformation in authoritarian political environments such as Cambodia.