The Reaction of Social Networks to Political Content: Typological Models and Ways of Expression

Social media has become an integral part of society. Today, in online social networks, users discuss various aspects and problems of modern life, both strictly personal and those concerning society as a whole. This includes the discussion of political events taking place in Russia and abroad. The discussion of the sociopolitical agenda within social media is becoming increasingly active. Participants in the virtual discussion express their attitude toward what is happening through reposts, likes, dislikes and comments. It is precisely comments that fully express users' reactions (positive, negative or neutral) to a political event. The emergence of the Internet and social media as a means of mass communication has significantly changed the nature of the user's perception of information. Social media accumulate protest sentiments, which users express in comments. This, in turn, provokes discussions and debates. The high emotional voltage within political discourse leads to a confrontation of positions and ideologies within social media. This paper examines how user-generated content, namely the expression of reactions to political events or phenomena in comments, can shape the political behavior of citizens in real space. The object of the study is social media: "Vkontakte", "Instagram", "Facebook". The subject of the study are the reactions of users of Internet services of social networks "Vkontakte", "Instagram", "Facebook" to the political content. The aim of the research is to identify different types of reactions of the users of online social networks "Vkontakte", "Instagram", "Facebook" to the political content and to determine their impact on the real political discourse. As a result of the research, a theoretical model of users' reactions to political content was developed, including the types of users' reactions and forms of their expression. On the basis of empirical research a portrait of an active participant in political virtual communications was created.