When Facebook Is the Internet: The Role of Social Media in Ethnic Conflict

Tuuli Tähtinen

No 408, ifo Working Paper Series from ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich

Abstract: This paper investigates whether social media access is associated with increased probability or intensity of ethnic conflict in Myanmar. In this context most people use mobile phones, and particularly the Facebook app, to access the internet. To distinguish the effects of social media from those of the broader internet, I exploit geographic variation in mobile phone coverage as a proxy for Facebook availability. Despite evidence of a hate-campaign utilizing Facebook to reach wide audiences, I do not find that social media access is associated with increased probability or intensity of conflict. The only exception to the null result is variation related to the Rohingya crisis: in this regional setting suggestive evidence points to Facebook availability being associated with slightly higher probability of conflict.

Keywords: internet; social media; conflict; propaganda; Myanmar; Rohingya (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D74 O33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ict, nep-inv, nep-pay and nep-sea
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Related works:
Journal Article: When Facebook Is the Internet: The Role of Social Media in Ethnic Conflict (2024)
Working Paper: When Facebook Is the Internet: The Role of Social Media in Ethnic Conflict (2021)
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