New media as a tool for non-systemic opposition in Russian Federation: A case study of Alexey Navalny’s communication on YouTube platform

Absztrakt (kivonat)

The Russian mass media and the internet have become a space for political propaganda in Russia. The problem is the control of power and the propaganda influence on society through various mass communications (from radio to the internet). In the 21st century, the internet has become one of the main spaces for creating political action, which can flow not only into online political mobilisation but also into offline active citizenship. Thus, this research paper aims to analyse how online politics affects the political thinking of social network users and how online politics plays out in territories with state control of media and the internet. Based on the literature and theories, online political communication is a controversial issue that is still debated among cyber optimists and pessimist scholars. The internet is a personalised tool, and different factors play a role in creating political communication and thinking online. Thus, discovered why Alexey Navalny is one of the leading online political figures, a content analysis of his material and finding frequently used topics for videos was developed, the format of his videos, the context of motivation for his viewers' actions, and the reasons to trust his videos over the official media channels were studied. The analysis showed that the main reason for his popularity is the well-chosen format of the video (editing), the use of funny pictures, focusing on his persona, namely only him in the frame and establishing a personal contact between the viewer and the speaker in the video. The results suggest that Alexey Navalny is a significant figure in Russian online political communications. On this basis, online political action and communication can be successful and unsuccessful. In this analysis, it is essential to understand the reasons for the failure and success of online political mobilisation. It is also essential to look at the Russian online political sphere and how it affects the consciousness of online users.