Social Media and Authoritarian Legacies: the Impact of Military Aligned Social Media Activists (SMAs) on Politics

Rahman, Saif Ur; Zhao, Shukai; Jan, Qasim

doi:10.1007/s11115-022-00691-0

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 44 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who remained largely unsuccessful since he launched his political party in 1996, was propped up by the military establishment as an alternative to the two established political parties. Capitalising on the military's overt and covert support, Mr Khan's PTI finally won power in the centre and in three provinces during the 2018 general elections (Rahman et al, 2022). Despite the complete abdication of power to the military for running state affairs, the partnership between Mr Khan and the military establishment did not survive long.…”

Section: A Change In Domestic Political and Security Environmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pakistan in 2023: On the Brink of a Full-Blown Crisis

Rahman

Jan

2023

India Quarterly: A Journal of International Affairs

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Pakistan continues to face multiple sources of internal and external conflicts. Its all-powerful military is engaged in a subterranean battle to maintain its power. Economically, the country persisted in troubled waters as it has been for most of its recent history. In domestic politics, the failed experiment of a hybrid regime under Ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan forced the military to part ways with Mr Khan and install a coalition government of 13 political parties through a no-confidence vote in parliament in April 2022. Mr Khan’s political party is facing a severe crackdown in Pakistan after he accused the powerful military of his ouster from power. At the regional level, a favourable outcome in Afghanistan in the shape of the Taliban’s takeover has not yielded any significant positive results for Pakistan. After concluding the Afghan conflict on a favourable note, paradoxically, the military establishment hints at a desire to shift away from geo-security to geo-economics in its foreign policy goals. At the extra-regional level, the military is walking a tightrope to balance its ties between the USA and China to offset any adverse consequences arising from its strategic partnerships with China over China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). In this article, we explain a series of issues confronting Pakistan currently—including a deep economic crisis, political paralysis, and a resurgent terror threat—focusing on the military’s ambitions in the region and beyond.

show abstract

Section: A Change In Domestic Political and Security Environmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pakistan in 2023: On the Brink of a Full-Blown Crisis

Rahman

Jan

2023

India Quarterly: A Journal of International Affairs

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Contestations of Internet Governance and Digital Authoritarianism in Pakistan

Ahmed,

Yilmaz,

Akbarzadeh

et al. 2024

Int J Polit Cult Soc

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The existing literature on Internet governance offers important insights on the relationship between state and society in China and the West. It is important to explore this relationship in the developing world. This study focuses on Pakistan, exploring the role of relevant legal frameworks, political authorities, and institutional structures in relation to monitoring and regulating telephone traffic, legal compliance, and consumer interests. By focusing on the interplay between political dynamics, international partnerships, and evolving digital landscapes, this study examines the evolution of Internet governance model in Pakistan. While Pakistan appears on a trajectory to digital authoritarianism, its journey is hampered by structural limitations, resistance from democratic forces, concerns about data protection and privacy, pushback from the judiciary, and the emergence of a vigilant civil society. Challenges in establishing a coherent authoritarian model of Internet governance have resulted in an ad hoc approach. This study offers a nuanced understanding of multifaceted factors influencing Internet governance in a developing country.

show abstract

Military Organization’s Use of Social Media and Its Relationship with Politics: Evidence from Pakistan

Rahman,

Shurong

2024

Sage Open

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The literature on social media (SM) use in government organizations primarily focuses on service delivery, publicity, and public relations. But, how a public sector security organization’s use of social media is related to electoral politics in a country is least understood. This paper conceptualizes the Pakistani military’s use of digital media, drawing on the theory of organizational impression management (IM). It further explores the impact of military-related social media activists (SMAs) on electoral politics in Pakistan. Structural equation modeling was used to test the conceptual model, demonstrating that the citizens’ connectedness with military-related SMAs is significant and positively associated with their voting realignments during the 2018 elections in Pakistan. The results revealed that the citizens’ greater online political participation increases their likelihood of connecting with military-related SMAs. On the contrary, their engagement with the offline political process reduces the chances of consuming the military’s impression management content over social media.

show abstract

Social Media and Authoritarian Legacies: the Impact of Military Aligned Social Media Activists (SMAs) on Politics

Cited by 3 publications

References 44 publications

Pakistan in 2023: On the Brink of a Full-Blown Crisis

Pakistan in 2023: On the Brink of a Full-Blown Crisis

Contestations of Internet Governance and Digital Authoritarianism in Pakistan

Military Organization’s Use of Social Media and Its Relationship with Politics: Evidence from Pakistan

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About