What can Turkmenistan learn from regional trends?
Researchers Valery Dzutsati and Dinara Rakhmatullayeva examined how Internet use influences individual trust in government and political participation across Central Asia. While their study excludes Turkmenistan, the findings offer valuable insights that can still be meaningfully applied to its context.
The researchers found that the impact of Internet use on political attitudes depends on the way it is used. Passive use – such as browsing or reading the news – is associated with lower trust in government and a lower likelihood of voting. In contrast, active Internet users – those who post content, blog, or engage on social media – tend to report higher trust in government and a greater likelihood of political participation.
The authors suggest that passive users are more likely to encounter alternative views online, including those of the opposition, which challenges official narratives and contributes to distrust in state institutions. Active users, however, often operate in environments of self-censorship, especially in authoritarian regimes. In many cases, content creators avoid criticizing authorities to protect themselves or maintain favorable relations with the government – particularly when their content supports business interests.
News consumption also plays a significant role. Those who rely on Internet sources for domestic news tend to show lower trust in government and reduced willingness to vote, whereas those who consume state-sponsored media, such as national TV, demonstrate higher levels of trust and political engagement.
The study also highlights differences across Central Asian countries. More authoritarian states like Tajikistan and Uzbekistan show higher reported trust in government than relatively more pluralist countries such as Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The researchers propose that individuals in more open societies may feel freer to express dissatisfaction, resulting in lower reported trust levels.
So how does this apply to Turkmenistan?
Before drawing comparisons, it’s important to understand the context. Turkmenistan has seen stagnant democracy indicators between 2017 and 2023, and it deliberately restricts access to digital information (see Figure 1). The government keeps Internet speed low (2.72 Mbps), prices high ($11.42 per GB), and content tightly controlled. Internet penetration remains low at 34.9%, and social media usage is among the lowest in the world at 3.2%.
Figure 1. Democracy Level Scores in Central Asian Countries Based on Varieties of Democracy Data.
Despite these constraints, the passive vs. active user dynamic identified in the study appears relevant in Turkmenistan too. A portion of the population, at personal risk, accesses information through Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to bypass censorship. These users, similar to passive users in other Central Asian states, are more likely to come across critical perspectives and develop greater distrust in the government.
On the other hand, active content creators in Turkmenistan – mainly influencers and digital entrepreneurs – tend to avoid political topics entirely. Much of their content consists of advertising and lifestyle material, especially in Ashgabat, and is often self-censored or even government-friendly. In some cases, creators go so far as to praise the government, possibly to secure protection or privileges for their businesses. This mirrors the pattern seen in neighboring countries where content creation is shaped by state pressure and economic interests.
Given Turkmenistan’s tightly controlled media environment, it is also reasonable to infer that those who consume only state media are more likely to express trust in the government, whereas those with access to alternative news via the Internet might show more skepticism – just as the study found in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
Overall, the contrast between passive and active Internet use, the effects of news sources, and the self-censorship of content creators all reflect patterns observable in Turkmenistan – arguably in even more pronounced and contrasting forms. In this sense, the research does not just apply to Turkmenistan; it may be especially instructive in understanding how trust in government is shaped in one of the most controlled digital environments in the world.
