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This essay explores the impact of the Internet and new social media in China and Malaysia. In particular, it examines the extent to which the tools and platforms of new information communication technology have democratizing effects in two very different types of illiberal regime. Democratization here is defined not as a simple process of political liberalization but instead as a dynamic process through which democratic norms and practices are disseminated. Of particular concern is whether they contribute to (a) a democratization of information, (b) the creation and/or expansion of the public sphere, and (c) expanded participation and mobilization. Although we find that evidence for democratization in Malaysia is greater than in China, in both cases, the overall impact of the Internet and new social media has been relatively limited. Moreover, in both cases, the development of the Internet, its evolution, and its societal impact are contextual. Successful strategies in one context are not likely to be easily mapped onto other countries with different experiences of Internet development.
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