Information Technology for Development· 2024Q1· Review
Digital authoritarianism: a systematic literature review
- 74citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2024year
Short summary
This systematic literature review clarifies the concept of digital authoritarianism and its related terms, identifying a lack of clear definitions in existing scholarship that hinders comparative research and mitigation efforts.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Existing literature lacks clear definitions for digital authoritarianism and related terms.
- Inconsistent terminology hinders comparative research and efforts to mitigate digital repression.
- This is the first systematic literature review on digital authoritarianism.
- The review aims to provide conceptual clarity and identify research gaps.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Authoritarianism is in the ascendancy across the globe, with digital technologies being used by both governments and non-state actors to repress rights and freedoms. Competing terms have emerged to conceptualize such use of digital technologies, including the term digital authoritarianism and a range of related terms including ‘networked authoritarianism’, ‘digital repression’, and ‘techno-authoritarianism’ which are used across different disciplines. Much of the existing literature uses these terms without clear definition, often referring to a diverse range of actions and measures. This lack of clarity undermines the basis for comparative research to advance knowledge and to determine how best to mitigate or overcome the negative effects of digital authoritarianism on democracy and development. This paper presents the first systematic literature review of digital authoritarianism and related terms. It contributes to generating conceptual clarity on digital authoritarianism and on its component elements, identifies gaps in the existing scholarship, and proposes a future research agenda.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Information Technology for Development, 2024 · DOI ↗
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Field: Sociology and Political Science
Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences