COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES TO PROMOTE THE IMAGE OF A RUSSIAN POLITICIAN IN TIMES OF CRISIS

Abstract

The study is devoted to identifying the eff ective communication practices in the formation of media content aimed at promoting a positive image of a politician during times of crisis. The problem fi eld of the study is related to the solution of such issues as the study of the structure and functions of the image of a political leader; the identifi cation of eff ective PR-tools for forming the image; the development of a methodology and the conduct of sociological research devoted to the technologies of forming the image of a political leader and the interpretation of study results. These problems are comprehensively solved in the study in the framework of the theory of media communication and PR-technologies. The novelty of the study lies in the systematization of eff ective media technologies for the formation of a political image and in identifying patterns of their use, which will, to a certain extent, infl uence and manage the level of social tension of the population in such new conditions for society as the global lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic and, as a consequence, the crisis in many areas of society life.The paper presents the results of a sociological study, the object of which was to identify the infl uence of the communicative behavior of politicians in the Stavropol Territory in the online environment on the formation of their image. As a method of collecting information, a mass survey of the population of the Stavropol Territory in the form of an online questionnaire was chosen .As a result of the study, it was concluded that during the period of critical situations the importance of a competent selection of those media technologies that are aimed at forming trust-based and long-term relations between political subjects and potential voters increases providing the purposeful design and promotion of a politician’s positive image. The study made it possible to identify the most eff ective tools for shaping the image of a politician during the COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic period were identifi ed: speeches or information on television about the activities of politicians, posts on social networks and a direct line by a politician on television or on social networks.