E-democracy: slacktivism vs civic activism

There are many studies in Russia on how the open government and e-democracy should be designed, what tools they use, what has been done, and what can be done in the future. There is no research, however, on how the public responds to this system and how it can function within the suggested framework. This is of major interest because the degree and quality of public involvement is one of the key indicators of the efficiency of e-democracy and e-government. Open government and e-democracy expand direct public participation in national life and guarantee effective public control. This is the ideal that all countries’ governments are seeking to attend. Meanwhile, the public has begun to use internet on its own as an instrument of democracy and control. Facebook, VKontakte, Twitter and other social media were established more than ten years ago. People feel the need of information exchanges, highlighting problems, and uniting for their causes. However, studies show that low level of media and information literacy leads to the development slaktivism, what can make instruments of e-democracy less effective. Media and information literacy is indispensable for open government’s sustainable work.