Enacting Internet Governance: Power and Communities over Time

Abstract

Chapter 6 locates authority and agency in Internet governance, disentangling the power dynamics in the field and in the community enacting them. Starting with a longitudinal, comparative perspective of the governance trends identified in previous chapters, it discusses the changing role of Internet companies and influential states in landmark developments post-2015, zooming in on market dynamics, cyber norm debates, and artificial intelligence strategies, including a discussion on developments in China and India. It further analyses community formation patterns in Internet governance, presenting the internal dynamics of decision-making and the perpetuation of core values among newcomers in established groupings. Against the continuous expansion and diversification of the field, this section traces the many continuities that structure a now mature field of power.