Internet communication in different political systems: a cross-national study

Abstract

This paper presents a comparative analysis of Internet communication in 12 countries. The study used methods of cluster analysis of Internet usage profiles, comparative analysis of Internet development indices, and typological analysis of political system features. Features of Internet development in countries with different types of political systems were compared. These include institutional control over the Internet on the part of the state and corporations; restrictions of Internet access; share of users that consider the Internet a living space; share of users that use the Internet in a pragmatic way; share of users that focus on leisure Internet content; share of users that excluded themselves from Internet communication. According to the results of the study, political factors determine the intensity of Internet communication, while the sociocultural factors affect the type of Internet content that is consumed.