SOCIAL MEDIA AND THEIR EFFECT ON POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

Abstract

The swift information-communication technologies development, especially the Internet in the last part of the XX century, had a significant degree of influence on human life around the world. It considered the internet evolution path and its effect on the possibilities increasing for communication and getting large quantity information, as well as the democracy establishment and open politics implementation. It analyzed further technologies growth, related to the internet in the XXI century beginning, stressed the role of modern technologies for the interaction perspectives widen, connection establishment in the society and favor in different social media creating, that is: social media has got broad spread around the world thanks to its flex possibilities for communication enhancement, as well as producing, transmitting, following information. It considered several researchers’ points of view on the possibilities of Internet influence on politics and its role as a path of communication for information exchange. It provided examples of early research on the impact of the early Internet on political participation and noted the ambiguity of scientists' opinions on this topic. It provided examples of research on the impact of the early Internet on political participation and noted the ambiguity of scientists' opinions on this topic. It scrutinized social media in the context of their effect on society's behavior, particularly on the political participation level. It described social media as a product of internet development and considered its main features. It is noted that social media, thanks to their interactivity, can theoretically have a positive impact on the political aspect of people's lives, as well as a negative one. It reviewed the results of empirical studies devoted to the topic of social media's influence on the political participation level and stressed the complexity of the specified problem.