Digital Spaces and Youth Activism in Central Asia: Navigating State Control and Online Expression in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-607-9_12How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Internet; Social Media; Youth Activism; State Control; Digital Space; Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan; Central Asia

Abstract

The development of the internet and social media has significantly reshaped the political dynamics of Central Asia, particularly in fostering youth engagement in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan two countries with distinct approaches to digital control, Kazakhstan employs centralized and strict surveillance, while Kyrgyzstan is relatively more open, though political instability and civil restrictions remain deeply entrenched. Through a qualitative approach based on a literature review and case study analysis, this research examines the use of Instagram, Telegram, and YouTube as instruments for mobilizing around socio political issues, including mass protests and anti-corruption movements, where the 2022 wave of demonstrations in Kazakhstan serves as a strong precedent for how social media functions as an alternative information channel amidst state imposed internet blockades, while in Kyrgyzstan, digital media strengthened solidarity within civil movements despite ongoing state surveillance. The digital space in Central Asia thus emerges as an arena of contestation where the expansion of youth political participation grows alongside the strengthening of state regulation and control over online activities.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Sylvia Octa Putri
AU  - Khayla Deandra Zattira
AU  - Muhammad Razif Andika
AU  - Dhea Prastika Putri
AU  - Danila Baquita Sequeira Carvalho
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/06
TI  - Digital Spaces and Youth Activism in Central Asia: Navigating State Control and Online Expression in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan
BT  - Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Business, Economics, Social Sciences & Humanities – Humanities and Social Sciences Track (ICOBEST-HSS 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 134
EP  - 146
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-607-9_12
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-607-9_12
ID  - Putri2026
ER  -