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Paper long abstract:

Central Asia provides an exceptionally useful arena for formulating an analytical approach to the political functions of social media. While the countries of this region share important political, historical, cultural and geographical similarities, they also demonstrate a range of internet availability and social media usage. Ruling authorities in this region have all expressed great concern over the potential political effects of social media and each state exercises control over the internet to varying degrees.

The region encompasses a wide range of social media use, resonance with the general population, and government attempts to control it. This paper outlines social media's status and spread in each state. It then proposes a tripartite form of analysis -- Inform, Identify, and Instigate -- designed to reveal the elements that give political relevance to social media, making it more than a tool for business or purely social interpersonal connections. Briefly, Identify is the function of spreading information, particularly that which those in power do not want disseminated; Identify is creating emotional involvement, essential to group formation; and Instigate is spurring action, whether or not it achieves its aim. Use of these categories can shed light on how significant a role social media plays in political action.

While the question of how to distinguish political use of social media from its other functions is a thorny one, this schema can enable analysts to separate out the means and the motivations that make social media politically relevant.

China, with some of the most sophisticated and widespread use of social media in the world, has had a fundamental role in the growth of the internet in the region. Research on China's approach to social media is examined to provide insight into the actual motivations for popular political action and how social media can be involved in political change even under conditions of tight governmental control.