Conceptual foundations of studying counter-discourse in social media

This article examines the main concepts and theories used in the study of political discourse in social media. It defines the key features of the internet and social networks and their impact on changing communication formats. The article addresses the issue of democratization and simultaneous complexity in information processing for a wide range of users. During the review, the theories of the “global village”, discursive space, information ecology, virtual spaces and media literacy are highlighted. Various concepts assess differently the role and influence of social media on discourse reproduction: from negative evaluations - users become mere consumers of content - to positive ones - users are capable of analyzing and fairly freely constructing political discourses. It is emphasized that social networks offer significant opportunities for countering dominant discourses and forming counter-discourses. Conclusion dwells upon the fact that new communication tools provide new avenues for user interaction in creating and discussing political texts.