Political Communication on Facebook: Russian Сase

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4185/RLCS-2015-1068

Keywords:

social networks analysis, Facebook, political communication

Abstract

Features of political communication in Russian-speaking segment of the Facebook network are analyzed in the article. According to researchers unlike their counterparts in the U.S. and elsewhere, Russian bloggers prefer platforms that combine features typical of blogs with features of social network services like Facebook. The data were collected into a complicated political period (violent events in Ukraine), which is considerably stimulated the activity of the Russian opposition and manipulative processes in the Russian social networks. Objectives. The objectives were: classification of actors in the political groups in the Russian-speaking segment of Facebook and analysis of their sociolinguistic behavior. Method. The interdisciplinary analysis based on scope of politically active groups (N 200) and actors (N 291) during January – May, 2014. Results. Actors were classified by politic opinions into mainstream, oppositional and nationalist Clusters and based on network activity into designers of communication space, manipulators, graphomaniacs and local cluster authors. Their communicative and speech behavior was also analyzed and shown shaped specific virtual identities, which demonstrate distinguished sociolinguistic behavior. Discussion and Conclusion. Today the analysis of communication processes in politically active communities in the network environment is of great importance as the virtual sphere becomes more and more significant for achieve of various political aims both in Russia and around the world. The prospect of an actual study is to identify the ratio of online and off-line communication activity of actors in the political sphere in the Russian segment of Facebook.

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Author Biographies

Maria Pilgun, University Higher School of Economics (HSE)

Dr. in  Philology, promoted 30 May 2000 at the subfaculty of Russian language, faculty of philology of the Kazan' State University/Russia.

Dissertation title: "The history of gender of the substantives in Russian language
 (derivation’s  aspect)”.

PhD in Philology, promoted 13 February 1992 at the subfaculty of Russian language, faculty of philology of the Kazan' State University/Russia.

Dissertation title: "From the history of the substantives of neutrum gender in Russian language".

1987-1991 postgraduate courses, subfaculty of Russian language, faculty of philology of the Udmurt State University/Russia.

1981-1986 graduate study, faculty of philology, Kazan' State University/Russia.
POSITIONS:

2009 - professor of the Department of Integrating Communications, National

ResearchUniversity Higher School of Economics.

2007 – 2009 - professor, head of the Subfaculty of Russian language
of the Russian State Agrarian University – MTAA named after K.A.Timiryazev.

2001   -   2007  - professor, head of the Subfaculty of Russian language
of the Moscow State Forestry University.

December 1997   - head of the Subfaculty of Russian language
of the Moscow State Forestry University.

1993  - 1997 -  Assistant professor, subfaculty of Russian language, faculty of philology, Moscow State Forestry (Wood-working Industry) University.

1992 - 1993 Senior Lecturer, subfaculty of Russian language, faculty of philology,
Moscow State Forestry (Wood-working Industry) University.

PUBLICATIONS:  210 scientific and methodical works published in Russia, Poland, Taiwan, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Spain, China and Bulgaria.

OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
Elaboration of  tests in Russian language (in the laboratory of attestation technologies at the department of education  of  Moscow government).

Galina Gradoselskaya, University Higher School of Economics (HSE), Russia

EDUCATION:

• 2001
PhD: specialty 22.00.01 "Theory, history and methodology of sociology ', the theme of the thesis:"Analysis of social networks"

• 1996
Volgograd Polytechnic Institute, Department of Electronics and Computer Science, specialty "Systems Engineering"

Postgraduate Institute of Sociology and the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences, 1998 - 2001 years.

Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences, Faculty of Sociology 1999
Volgograd State Technical University, Department of Electronics and Computer Science, in 1996, graduated with honors with a degree in Systems Engineering.
.
POSITIONS:

• Assistant Professor: Faculty of Social Sciences / Department of Sociology / Department of methods of collection and analysis of sociological information of HSE

• Head: Faculty of Social Sciences / Department of Sociology / Research-study group "Network methods and models in the analysis of textual information»

• Lead Researcher: International Laboratory for Applied Network Analysis
Professional interests:
social network analysis
sociolinguistics mathematical modeling in sociology      

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Published

2015-11-14

How to Cite

Pilgun, M. ., & Gradoselskaya, G. . (2015). Political Communication on Facebook: Russian Сase. Revista Latina De Comunicación Social, (70), 726–749. https://doi.org/10.4185/RLCS-2015-1068

Issue

Section

Miscellaneous