ABSTRACT
Much discussion of the rise of the Internet within the People’s Republic of China focuses on the political consequences of the technology on China’s Communist Party. A significant number of authors argue that the Internet is a “technology of freedom,” which will lead to an increased democratization in authoritarian nations. Others argue, however, that new media technologies embody a potential to drastically inhibit democratic processes, because of the increased potential for surveillance, the commercialization of the Net, or even by facilitating anti-democratic sentiments, among other reasons. Researchers have posited various mechanisms of democratization, but one item of consensus that seems to be emerging is that the Internet, because it allows for a greater variety of information from global sources, increases the ability of Chinese to bypass the traditional mechanisms of news selection on the part of authorities, thus increasing their ability to think politically outside the parameters endorsed by the state.
