WHO SUPPORTS A BAN? EXAMINING TRUST, CONSPIRACY, AND ECONOMIC UTILITY IN PAKISTAN’S X (TWITTER) SHUTDOWN
Abstract
This study investigates public attitudes toward the February 2024-May 2025 ban on X (formerly Twitter) in Pakistan, amid allegations of election rigging and concerns over misinformation and national security. Drawing on survey data from 512 diverse Pakistani adults, it examines how factors such as X usage frequency, content trust, anti-government sentiment, tech conspiracy beliefs, and perceived economic utility influence support for the ban. Hypotheses posit negative associations between support and higher usage, trust, anti-government views, and economic utility, while conspiracy beliefs predict positive support. The findings reveal that higher usage, trust in content, anti-government sentiment, and perceived economic utility are significantly associated with lower support for the ban. Conversely, belief in global tech conspiracies predicts greater support, reflecting nationalist anxieties. These relationships persist after controlling for demographic and political variables, with regression models explaining 17.8% of the variance in ban support. The study contributes to the literature on digital authoritarianism by integrating attitudinal, political, and economic dimensions into a unified model suited for hybrid regimes. It highlights the centrality of platforms like X in shaping dissent, economic engagement, and state legitimacy. Theoretically, it advances media resistance and conspiracy scholarship in the South Asian context, while empirically filling gaps in quantitative research on censorship acceptance. Practically, it offers policy implications for balancing security, economic livelihoods, and freedom of expression in digitally contested spaces. These findings underscore the complexities of digital governance in politically volatile societies, where bans may provoke backlash rather than compliance.
Keywords: X ban, Digital Authoritarianism, Conspiracy Beliefs, Anti-Government Sentiment, Social Media Censorship, Pakistan, Economic Utility, Hybrid Regimes.
