Digital Surveillance and Political Expression: Analyzing the Effects of State Monitoring of Influencers and Public Figures on Online Political Discourse in Pakistan

Abstract

Digital media in Pakistan have been growing at a very fast pace, and it has revolutionized political communication so that people who influence, and those who are influential in politics can have direct communication with the citizens and also be able to control the political discourse. But this democratization of discourse has come more and more to fall under the shadow of the state surveillance. This report looks at how digital surveillance has impacted political speech among the Pakistani influencers and publicity. Based on a qualitative and interpretive study design, the data were gathered in the form of semi-structured interviews with 18 respondents, who were journalists, digital activists, and media figures. Using thematic analysis, we found five prevalent themes, which were the perceived ubiquity of surveillance, fear and self-censorship, strategic response via coded communication, digital disillusionment, and reclaiming agency via covert resistance. Evidence indicates that surveillance gives rise to a paradoxical process, as on the one hand it inhibits free expression as a result of fear and intimidation, but, on the other hand, surveillance leads to imaginative, oblique forms of dissent and the re-invention of civic life. Influencers will use selective silence, humor, and symbolic language to negotiate visibility in order to find a balance between influence and personal security. The paper ends by concluding that the surveillance of Pakistani citizens by the state has transformed the politics of the internet to give rise to a space of restrained expression and defensive communication and not blunt repression. These insights form part of the larger debates on digital authoritarianism and freedom of expression by hybrid democracies. The study highlights the importance of open digital governance, enhanced privacy and renewed focus on democratic communication ethics in the changing digital Pakistan.

Keywords: Online Censorship, Political Expression, Influencers, Pakistan, Online Discourse, Self-Censorship, Hybrid Regimes.