DEMOCRACY DISCONNECTED: SOCIAL MEDIA’S CAUSTIC INFLUENCE ON SOUTHEAST ASIA’S FRAGILE REPUBLICS PREFACE: UTOPIA LOST While the 20th century was marked by an extraordinary array of technological achievements that helped to bring the world closer together, perhaps none have so fundamentally altered our collective conscience as those associated with the dawn of the information age. The emergence of the internet brought with it the promise of unprecedented connectivity, allowing individuals to gain access to knowledge that transcends cultural and geographic boundaries. This revolution in the dissemination of information coincided with a general optimism that the free flow of ideas would usher in an era of greater egalitarianism and freedom. For societies that had long suffered under the strictures of authoritarian rule, a multitude of innovative tools would empower once oppressed citizenries to mobilize against despots and demand the institutionalization of governments accountable to their people. For a time, this idealistic vision seemed on the verge of becoming a reality as companies such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter rose to prominence in the global lexicon. The exuberance surrounding technology’s role in bringing about a new wave of democratic development hit a fever pitch in 2009 after protestors first filled the streets of Moldova in response to perceived fraud in parliamentary elections. Dubbed the “Twitter Revolution” because of the role the platform played in publicizing the demonstrations, social media took center stage as it was subsequently employed in high-profile protests in Iran and across the Middle East.1 Fast forward several years to the present, however, and the technology-fueled popular uprisings in these countries have seemingly resulted in few, if any, discernable reforms. In fact, societies across the globe bear little resemblance to the once utopian prospect of a world defined by greater understanding, empathy, and unity. Rather, we seem to be more isolated and polarized than ever before. Southeast Asia provides a particularly interesting and important present-day case study on technology’s utility as a catalyst for democratization. The relatively sudden and rapid spread of cellular devices in the region, where Asia’s most tenuous democracies are concentrated, has conferred a significant amount of power to the masses at a time when still-nascent institutions are weak. While more and more people are taking to social media, especially Facebook, to propagate their views, there are few mediating influences over the growing cacophony of voices, giving rise to an increasingly rancorous political climate. Absent a strong education system, well-developed legal framework, and robust, independent media, unbridled rumors and falsehoods threaten to undermine civil discourse as they spread through the burgeoning social media landscape. This situation presents an opportunity for domestic and foreign actors alike who seek to leverage the discord to pursue ends that may stymie, or even reverse, progress toward consolidating democratic gains. Washington has reason to pay close attention to what is transpiring in these countries if only because the United States has itself proven vulnerable to the effects of social media-induced polarization. There is mounting concern that even well-established democracies are susceptible to so-called “sharp power” tactics employed by China and Russia that are aimed at exploiting the open media culture within democratic societies to foment corrosive public divisions.2 However, increasing levels of polarization and 1 Evgeny Morozov, “Moldova’s Twitter Revolution,” Foreign Policy, April 7, 2009, http://foreignpolicy. com/2009/04/07/moldovas-twitter-revolution/. 2 Christopher Walker and Jessica Ludwig, “The Meaning of Sharp Power,” Foreign Affairs, November 16, 2017, https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/china/2017-11-16/meaning-sharp-power. Foreign Policy at Brookings | 3