Political activism is not failing because people are too busy watching cat videos online, but because of a fundamental collapse of citizen leverage on institutions of power like governments and corporations.
Zeynep TufekciRead
You might be tempted to think that China has a Streisand-effect problem, in which trying to censor an event creates even more publicity. But that assumes the Chinese government doesn't understand the Streisand effect, and that can't be right, because if one government understands attention dynamics online, it's China's.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the Chinese government's awareness of the unintended consequences of censorship, particularly in the digital age.
Zeynep Tufekci's quote addresses the complex nature of censorship, using the example of the Streisand effect, which describes how attempts to suppress information can lead to greater public interest. It suggests that the Chinese government is not naive about how online attention works, implying that their actions are calculated and strategic rather than misguided attempts at control.
Themes
CensorshipChinaStreisand EffectAttentionGovernment
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on media control, this quote can illustrate the paradox of censorship.
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