Protest communities in social networks: three years of observations

Abstract

The article is devoted to the important role that social media plays in the modern society. The author uses the data of national and international studies that prove that social media deeply penetrated into the everyday communications and started to play a substantial role in the protest mobility of citizens. Those who share this point of view are not only researchers but political leaders as well. The aim of the study is to describe the dynamics of the activities of protest communities in social networks. To achieve the goal a three-year research was carried out from 2012 to 2014 to monitor one of the most influential Russian Internet communities titled “Svobodnie novosti” (Vkontakte). The target analysis was used as a tool to conduct the study. According to the results of the study, the number of the declared supporters of the protest movements is growing. At the same time, this data is not sufficient because the protest-oriented users do not represent the entire virtual community of Russia. Those who join protest communities are mainly residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg, men, young Russians aged 18-24; they opt for family values and appreciate kindness and honesty.