Digital technologies allow political players to circumvent traditional media processes, including scrutiny, transparency, regulation, and censorship. These new technologies allow much more direct control of the narrative either speaking directly to their supporters or to select partisan outlets that speak to these specific populations.

In countries with low levels of press freedom or substantive attacks on a free press, digital technologies serve as a tool for circumventing state censorship and repression, often aiding grassroots activism. In contrast, illiberal actors in countries with high levels of press freedom co-opt narratives of censorship or bias to position themselves as victims, while facing fewer structural barriers.