Russian political space faced with digitalization: main risks

The present study analyzes five key trends in the digitalization of the Russian political space, which are clearly risky in nature. This is the possibility of “digital manipulation” of electoral processes, the chaos of political practices, the spread of new manipulation technologies, the predominance of fragmented emotional perception of political reality and the formation of numerous political simulacra, including virtual identities. Most of these risks have manifested themselves already nowadays, which contributes to the growth of conflicts in the Russian society and the crystallization of protest sentiments. In the conditions of mass fatigue from “bad” political news, a major role in the politics of the “post-truth era” will play the mechanism of emotional arrhythmia, when bursts of information activity alternate with political calm. It seems that each of the above mentioned risks has a significant potential to destabilize the political system of Russia, each of them is on an “upward wave” these days and will have a serious impact on the Russian political process in the 2020s.