Potential of social networks’ use in the protest movements

Abstract

This article studies the problem of social networks use as a platform for political mobilization of society’s protest potential. Social networks are tools for spreading information. The aim of the article is to study the role of exposure and perspectives of social networks’ usage in the formation and implementation of the protest potential in the society. Disclosed technological aspects, forms and methods of social networks’ use as a means of formation and implementation of public protest potential. This article addressed practical experience of public’s political mobilization in Ukraine and the Middle East. Actualized the tendency to use social networks as a medium of dissent formation and processes control instrument of political mobilization of the society. It was shown the basic directions of social networks’ usage to achieve policy objectives (the promotion of political projects, work with target audiences) through the activation of dissent. It was determined that the use of social networks for political mobilization of society allows you to do it quickly enough, given existing precedents in other countries, factors and opportunities, ways to influence audience’s opinion in the organization and carrying out protest campaigns, aligned at the main protest target audience of social networks – the young and the middle class.