For authoritarian regimes, social networks represent a real threat, Social Media Expert Peter Swale said in an interview with Objective TV (obyektiv.tv).
The authorities cannot influence the content of materials published on twitter and Facebook. Therefore, the most active users are often harassed and even arrested, in order to neutralize their activity on the Internet.
It often happens that an ordinary video on a current social theme, which is put on the Internet, is stronger than a traditional speech by a political leader, Swale believes. Against this background, president speeches become less effective and believable.
According to the expert, after revolutions, Arab authoritarian regimes have developed serious concerns for social networks. However, instead of starting political and economic reforms, they are trying to control the local Internet elite, and to introduce its people on the network to spy on activists.
Today, hundreds of thousands of people in countries such as Azerbaijan, and millions of citizens of Iran and China are involved in social networks, which are much more effective than other media. They are not only passive listeners, but directly involved in discussions, increasing their activity by many times.
People from the former Soviet Union are the most advanced users of the Internet, influencing the activity of Azerbaijani citizens.
According to Swale, in the future government inadequacy will lead to virtual warfare in cyberspace. Already today, we see confrontations between the computer-users of unfriendly states, as well as conflicts between "totalitarian" and "democratic" hackers. -17D-
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