Social Network as a Communication Channel during Election Campaigns (on the Example of the Elections to the Moscow City Duma in 2019)

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that influence the political involvement of voters in social networks during the election campaign for the Moscow City Duma. Previously, this issue has not been studied on the example of elections of this level of power. The paper examines the features of the social networks of political figures during the campaign period. Expert interviews and an online survey of potential voters were chosen as the research methods. The factors influencing the political involvement of Muscovites in social networks were evaluated, and the topics of publications in the accounts of politicians that are of interest to the target audience were determined. As a result, it was revealed that the political involvement of voters in social networks depends partly on the age and does not depend on the gender of voters. Also, with the increase in the level of active political participation and the improvement of the attitude of voters to the procedure of elections to the Moscow City Duma, the level of their involvement in the social networks of politicians increases. The fact of voting in the 2019 elections is also associated with the political involvement of voters in social networks. The maximum interest of the audience is caused by publications that touch on problematic topics.