“How to March at the Computer”: The Role of Digitalization in the Activities of the Regional Patriotic Organizations of Siberian Federal District

Abstract

In Russia, the government’s demand for the patriotic education of young people is constantly growing. However, the content of the programs, their implementation strategies and the prospects for introducing digital technologies into the activities of patriotic youth NGOs remain vague. Based on the analysis of online resources, including the organizations’ social media accounts, the authors conclude that informative content prevails. In addition, they distinguish 4 clusters of non-commercial organizations: Yunarmiyan (Young Army Cadets National Movement), military-athletic, historical and civic, with 60 000 members in total. With the help of TargetHunter parser, the study analyzes social media posts, paying attention to their content and format, the number of posts, likes, comments, viewers and followers. The authors conclude that the level of online involvement has risen as the amount of news traditionally increases in the first quarter of each year, as well as due to the adaptation to the conditions set by the pandemic. The digitalization of patriotic education is complicated and diverse because of the specifics of patriotic organizations, as patriotic content is second to entertainment and educational content on the web.