Элита и ее политический режим в условиях сетевых коммуникаций

Abstract

Currently, the important problems of network communication and the political elite are mainly outside the scope of comparative studies of political regimes. The purpose of the article is to identify the specifics of the adaptation of the elite and its political regime to the conditions of modern network communications. Based on the analysis of specialized literature, an intermediate conclusion is made – a functional approach, as a synthesis of structurally oriented and process-oriented aspects of the study of the political regime, becomes the most optimal analytical lens in the study of network communications. Based on the analysis of specialized literature, an intermediate conclusion is made – a functional approach, as a synthesis of structurally-oriented and process-oriented aspects of the study of the political regime, becomes the most optimal analytical lens in the study of network communications. The author's hypothesis is the assumption that the activity of representatives of the political elite in network communications poses serious risks for maintaining the democratic foundation of political regimes. To test the hypothesis, the methodological optics of quantitative content analysis was chosen. The classification of political regimes proposed by the authors of the Swedish scientific project Regimes of the World (RoW) is considered. In a study of the political communities of network communications, it was found that despite the existence of different types of political regimes, there is a general pattern – the predominance of large communities of political leaders. At the same time, communities of parliaments and courts are mostly less popular. This phenomenon is associated by the author with the systemic risks of democracy – the effect of «technological overlap» and the growth of populism. It is emphasized that the legitimization of the political regime in many respects already occurs with the active adaptation of the political elite to the digitalization process. In the framework of the «Network Polis» model, the discussion problems of combining democracy and virtual network communities are considered.