NETWORK POLITICAL PROTEST AND ELECTIONS

Author: SOKOLOV A.V.

Communicology. 2016. v.4, n.4
SOKOLOV Alexander Vladimirovich, PhD in political science, assistant professor of social and political theories, Demidov Yaroslavl State University

Abstract: Network political protest is a new form of collective action of citizens, aimed on protecting their rights and interests. In this regard, it is directly connected with elections. This connection can be traced in several aspects.
Protest can be both a cause and a consequence of the election. Such mass protests as «orange revolution» and the «Arab Spring» is a vivid confirmation of this connection. Elections can be an institution, reducing protest of the society and its social groups, or an institution contributing to the structuring of opposition and protest groups.
Absenteeism, as well as a protest vote may also be a form of demonstrating of the connection between elections and protests, as well as the degree of people`s trust and support of the political system of the state.
Information and communication technology (ICT), including the Internet, play a significant role in the organization and implementation of a network political protest. At the same time ICTs can increase the effectiveness of protest (if they are being used by protesters), and therefore the probability of new elections, and to counteract it (if they are used by the authorities).

Keywords: protest, internet, network, elections, collective action, communication, democracy

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