Role of social media in political mobilization in Russia

In: Proceedings of International Conference for E-Democracy and Open Government 2012 (CeDEM 12, Danube University, Austria).

Editors: Peter Parycek, Noella Edelmann (Editors) Michael Sachs (Co-Editor)

This article examines the transformation of the online public sphere in Russia and the democratic impact of the Russian web with a focus on the analysis of the protest movement after the legislative elections of 2011. The author argues that the long underestimated democratic potential of RuNet has undergone rapid development, not only due to the political conjuncture, but also because of the emergence of a new generation of young “digital natives” coming into political activism. The author also analyses specific features of the online social mobilization in Russia and makes conclusions about the perspectives of deliberative discourse within the Russian web.