Digital Authoritarianism and the Politics of Noise: Co-optation and Narrative Flooding in Serbian Protests
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.2298/FID2601121JKeywords:
Digital Authoritarianism , Soft-Censorship, Media Capture, Co-optation , FramingAbstract
Contemporary electoral autocracies increasingly rely on information abundance rather than censorship to maintain control. This article explores how infotainment has emerged as a key battleground in Serbia’s protest politics (2024–2025), serving both as a tool of resistance and as a mechanism of soft authoritarian control. Utilizing a combined quantitative and qualitative content analysis of six media outlets, three pro-government (B92, Informer, Pink) and three independent (Danas, Južne Vesti, N1), the study traces how the regime constructed a divisive discourse by splitting students into two opposing camps: “ćaci” (a viral misspelling co-opted to represent innocent non-political youth) and “blockaders” (a pejorative for those protesting). The analysis reveals a structural asymmetry: while pro-government outlets aggressively deployed emotive frames and mockery (labeling student protesters as “fascists” or “foreign agents”), independent media were relegated to a reactive role, attempting to debunk these narratives. This discursive aggression is identified as a calculated prelude to the physical violence observed since the summer of 2025. Ultimately, the study concludes that modern authoritarianism thrives not by hiding the truth, but by burying it under layers of irony and manufactured conflict.
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