Margaret E. Roberts, Associate Professor of Political Science at UC San Diego, delves into the complexities of censorship in China. She identifies unique tactics like 'friction' and 'flooding' that distract the general public while leaving elite groups grappling with harsher penalties. The discussion also covers how censorship shapes political behavior and information access, with a focus on the dire situation of the Uyghurs. Roberts emphasizes the evolution of censorship in the digital age, revealing how it affects both citizen engagement and government accountability.
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insights INSIGHT
Three Mechanisms Of Digital Censorship
Roberts defines three censorship mechanisms: fear, friction, and flooding as distinct ways regimes shape information access.
Friction and flooding work without obvious penalties, making censorship effective at scale online.
insights INSIGHT
Friction Works Because People Are Busy
Friction raises small costs to access information so most people won't bother to overcome it.
Its ambiguity means people often can't tell whether missing information is censorship or mere scarcity.
insights INSIGHT
Flooding As Strategic Noise
Flooding injects competing content or noise to dilute or distract from targeted information.
This raises the cost of finding reliable information by creating confusion and volume.
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She identifies 3 types of censorship: fear (threatening punishment to deter the spread or access of information); friction (increasing the time or money necessary to access information); and flooding (publishing information to distract, confuse, or dilute). Roberts shows how China customizes repression by using friction and flooding (censorship that is porous) to deter the majority of citizens whose busy schedules and general lack of interest in politics make it difficult to spend extra time and money accessing information. Highly motivated elites (e.g. journalists, activists) who are willing to spend the extra time and money to overcome the boundaries of both friction and flooding meanwhile may face fear and punishment. The two groups end up with very different information – complicating political coordination between the majority and elites.
Roberts’s highly accessible book negotiates two extreme positions (the internet will bring government accountability v. extreme censorship) to provide a more nuanced understanding of digital politics, the politics of repression, and political communication. Even if there is better information available, governments can create friction on distribution or flood the internet with propaganda. Looking at how China manages censorship provides insights not only for other authoritarian governments but also democratic governments. Liberal democracies might not use fear but they can affect access and availability – and they may find themselves (as the United States did in the 2016 presidential election) subject to flooding from external sources. The podcast includes Roberts’ insights on how the Chinese censored information on COVID-19 and the effect that had on the public.
Foreign Affairs named Censored one of its Best Books of 2018 and it was also honored with the Goldsmith Award and the Best Book in Human Rights Section and Information Technology and Politics section of the American Political Science Association.
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