The Internet is a complex communication medium that allows individuals to share information with the world. While it provides new opportunities for innovation, there are also some negative aspects such as the dissemination of fake news or child pornography. In order to address these concerns, governments enforce various internet regulations. These regulations range from censorship to data privacy protection. Internet regulations are not just laws — they have a significant impact on the quality of information, which in turn influences the way people innovate (Vasist and Krishnan, 2024).
The regulation of the Internet requires a holistic approach because it consists of many different factors. For example, a law may prohibit companies from collecting personal information from children. However, there are exceptions to this rule. Behavioral ads, for instance, are considered to be a form of collecting personal information. These types of ads are commonly found on websites that are targeted toward children, and they can be used to target specific content to children.
To explore the complex relationships between state internet regulations and innovation, this study uses a cross-sectional configurational analysis based on the fsQCA technique, which integrates Complexity Theory. This method allows researchers to identify the various configurations of conditions that contribute to high and low innovation performance. The study also examines the effect of state internet regulation on creativity, which is a key dimension of innovation.
For the past three decades, America has experimented with extreme leniency in regulating the most powerful communication medium ever invented. It appears that these days, many people are recoiling from this laissez-faire era, and the Supreme Court is signaling the end of a three-decade experiment with free expression and unfettered speech.