Research framework and broader academic knowledge base
Serbia: documented application of the same framework
Why is it not enough for accurate information to exist somewhere?
It is not enough that accurate information exists somewhere, because people have limited time, attention, money and the ability to check everything they hear. If reliable information is buried in a long document, published on a small website, available only after a lawsuit or risky for the one who transmits it, most citizens will practically not see it.
In contrast, a simple and constantly repeated claim can reach almost anyone, even when it is incorrect. Information freedom is therefore not only the absence of a ban, but also the actual availability, visibility and security of the source. Even the fact seen does not automatically change the opinion: it is important to whom people trust, whether they can connect it with their own experience and whether they have someone to talk to publicly about its meaning.
The fact that someone saw the information does not mean that they believed or changed their behavior. Previous attitudes, trust and people with whom they talk are important.
Works supporting this answer, with their evidence type and an explanation of how they relate to the claim.
Explain how the system works
Petrova, M. (2008), „Inequality and Media Capture“, Journal of Public Economics 92(1–2): 183–212.
- Contribution to this answer
- Petrova shows that the very existence of information is not enough if economically powerful actors can influence what the media will publish and how they will present a topic. What citizens really find out also depends on who can pay the price of the impact on the information space.
Explain how the system works
Gehlbach, S. i Sonin, K. (2014), „Government Control of the Media“, Journal of Public Economics 118: 163–171.
- Contribution to this answer
- Gehlbach and Sonin show that it is important not only if there is some information, but through what kind of media people come to him and how much they trust him. The government therefore balances between the media that push her message more strongly and the media that are credible enough that this message can affect the audience at all.
research that checks more closely what the cause is
Roberts, M. E. (2018), Censored: Distraction and Diversion Inside China’s Great Firewall, Princeton University Press.
- Contribution to this answer
- Roberts gives perhaps the most direct answer to the question: you don’t have to make information unavailable it’s enough to make access a little slower, harder or more strenuous. Most people won’t put in extra time and effort every time, so very “porous” censorship can strongly change what people eventually see.
research that checks more closely what the cause is
Milli, S. i dr. (2025), „Engagement, user satisfaction, and the amplification of divisive content on social media“, PNAS Nexus 4(3): pgaf062.
- Contribution to this answer
- Milli and co-authors show that even among the available information, the platform does not choose neutrally: ranking based on engagement enhances emotionally charged and hostile content compared to chronological display even content that users themselves did not say they wanted to see anymore. That is why “it’s right somewhere on the Internet” does not mean “it has an equal chance of reaching me”.
research that checks more closely what the cause is
Brady, W. J., McLoughlin, K., Doan, T. N. i Crockett, M. J. (2021), „How Social Learning Amplifies Moral Outrage Expression in Online Social Networks“, Science Advances 7(33): eabe5641.
Brady, W. J., McLoughlin, K., Doan, T. N. i Crockett, M. J. (2021), "How Social Learning Amplifies Moral Outrage Expression in Online Social Networks", Science Advances 7(33): eabe5641.
- Contribution to this answer
- Brady and the co-authors show another mechanism that has nothing to do with central propaganda: when the expression of resentment receives positive reactions from other users, people repeat it more often, and they also adapt to the norms of the network in which they are located. The information space can therefore systematically amplify one type of content without anyone centrally ordering what should be visible.
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