Political activism in social media (e.g. of Moscow, Ekaterinburg and Shies)

Abstract

The purpose of the research is to study the practice of its manifestation in the modern political process of Russia, in particular in Moscow, Yekaterinburg and Shies, based on the analysis of scientific ideas about political activism in social networks. The main methods in the work are the comparative political science approach, case-study and content analysis. The analysis of recent political events shows that modern online technologies and forms of civic participation are gaining great importance in political discourse. With the advent of the Internet, the approach to an audience in the media space and the forms of interaction have changed. There are spontaneous emergence of Internet activism in Russia and the growth of its influence which were described. The role of the Internet in activating citizenship was examined, the main channels / Internet platforms (YouTube, telegram channels, etc.) and their functions in Internet activism were highlighted. It is argued that online activism and subsequent offline actions were shaped by network structures as unique events open to any participant. A study of political protest actions in recent years shows that, at this stage of the developing civil society in Russia, Internet activism, which has consolidated various segments of the locals around solving political issues, contributes to civil mobilization and raises awareness of protests. In some cases, the agenda in the Russian media can be formed mainly due to the activation of the masses in the digital environment. It is concluded that in the short term because of the growing dissatisfaction with conventional forms of political participation, the confrontation between authorities and society in the Internet can create a new political reality in Russia. Protest actions organized using the Internet, previously not frequent, have become very common in Russian politics in recent years. The practical significance of the work lies in the area that the results of the study make a certain contribution to development of the theoretical base of researches on Internet activism.

Challenges of environmental security in regional policy (on the example of the Lipetsk region)

“…Examples of such resistance can be found in a number of Russian regions [10]. Environmental protests contribute to the emergence of new forms of political activism [11] and contribute to new expectations in the media space [12].…”