The influence of social media on the current political situation in Kazakhstan

Abstract

The digitalization of communication means and the rapidly development of social media in the world has led to the public being better informed about key political and economic issues of public concern. This study investigated the use of social media as a transformative agent in changing the political behavior of Kazakhstanis. The author examines the interaction of civil society with the political environment of Kazakhstan through popular social networks. More specifically, special emphasis is placed on the quality of the information produced, as social media provide a wide range of opportunities for political manipulation. As a research method, we use a questionnaire of Kazakhstanis aged 18 to 50 for the data collection, where the main age range of respondents was concentrated between 18 and 25 years. It is established that the effects of social media on the political stance of Kazakhstanis increase as the majority of the respondents agreed that they decided to choose political leanings according to the information perceived from social media. The findings highlight how social media influences political views and contribute to the understanding of how social media can involve or distract society in political life of the country.