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Chui Yi Ma, National Chi Nan University, TaiwanAbstract
Building on Dukalskis’s (2021) concept of the "authoritarian public sphere", a state-managed arena where regimes use infrastructure to regulate cyberspace, this study examines digital authoritarianism in Myanmar. Current scholarship tends to overlook how a "resilient, confrontational cyberspace", defined here as a decentralized network structured for resource mobilization and revolutionary action rather than rational deliberation, can emerge under extreme suppression. Contextualized within Myanmar’s 2025–2026 election, this study investigates the intersection of technology and resistance. Methodologically, it integrates digital ethnography, discourse analysis, and data journalism (specifically text-as-data and sentiment analysis). Macro-level data from Freedom House and DataReportal establish the suppression baseline. Through discourse analysis, the study contrasts authoritarian narratives (e.g., junta speeches) with counter-discourses from independent media (The Irrawaddy, Mizzima) and NGO statements (Justice For Myanmar, BACS). Furthermore, digital ethnography tracks hashtag campaigns (#RejectShamElection) alongside individual defiance, ranging from prominent activists like Thinzar Shunlei Yi to Gen Z cultural resistance figures like Emily Oo. By analyzing these multi-layered sources, the research aims to illustrate how citizens navigate digital loopholes to bypass censorship. Consequently, initial observations suggest that under authoritarianism, the public sphere ceases to function as a space for rational deliberation; rather, it transforms into a highly confrontational cyberspace where the primary objective shifts toward active resistance. Ultimately, this research highlights how cyberspace may serve as a vital infrastructure for rebellion.
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