PUBLIC OPINION AND POLITICAL CONSEQUENCES OF DIGITALIZATION: SPECIFICS AND VECTORS OF INTERACTION

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the digital public self-presentation of minority groups and individuals in the Internet environment, which questions the ability of the public to function as a balanced community. The purpose of the study is to establish the challenges of digitalization for the structure of modern public opinion. The political dimension of digitization processes is characterized, which requires careful analysis, since the state of public opinion can no longer be fully diagnosed by traditional means of sociological research. It was emphasized that in the conditions of the Russian-Ukrainian war, knowledge about the structure of public opinion can significantly influence the formation of effective strategies for countering enemy manipulations and building campaigns to promote pro-Ukrainian positions. The ability of public opinion to respond to public information is analyzed. The importance of structuring public opinion is revealed not only on the basis of ideological preferences and aggregation of interests, but also on the basis of "secondary" factors, in particular, subjective sympathies. It was found that due to the multifaceted nature of means of disseminating political information, there is a combination of traditional and digital media. It was found that digitalization contributes to the transparency and completeness of the display of information about the activities of the authorities in a democratic society. It has been proven that even in the conditions of a stable democracy there is a practice of a purposeful change in the political positions of citizens in favor of a certain engaged message or thesis. It has been established that in the conditions of modern Ukraine, the resource availability of virtual political subjects makes manipulative practices successful and very common. It is assumed that the consequences of political digitization pose a significant threat to the fundamental values of democratic representation, rights to exercise freedom of speech, etc. It was found that the free press is an object of manipulation by political institutions and actors. It is established that the formation of integrated public opinion, which is aggregated as a set of different positions and expressions, is problematic. The issue of objects of manipulation, which are not only components of society, but also of decentralized state power, is considered. The specificity of strategic thinking in the digital environment is indicated, which involves the emergence of manipulative events and pseudo-events, as well as agenda management. It was concluded that traditional institutions and actors are gradually being eliminated from the political and communication arena. It is substantiated that the media policy of modern states and political actors is characterized by the use of targeted Internet advertising technologies, which makes it possible to attract the audience to the consideration of certain events that seem to have broad social significance.