The Role of Information and Communication Technologies in the Development of Civic Activism

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of features of civil activity in Yaroslavl region. The study focuses on the transformation of civic activity under the influence of information and communications technologies. The current state of civil activism is described. The role of information and communications technologies in public and political communication is being considered. Examples are given of the impact of information technology on the formation, recruitment and mobilization of civic activists. In order to determine the characteristics of the development of civic activity in Yaroslavl oblast, a study was carried out which included in-depth interviews with experts representing the academic community, State and municipal authorities, Media, civic activists and non-profit activists. Twenty-one experts participated in the interview. In order to review civic activitsm in Yaroslavl region in the most detailed and in-depth manner, the expert survey was divided into a number of thematic clusters. One focused on the transformation of civic engagement in the context of ICT development. Under this cluster, experts were asked to assess the current level of civic activity in the region, as well as to determine the role of ICT in the development of civic activism to current levels. Further interest in the survey focused on the development of civic activism as well as the threats that it may face as a result of the massive introduction of ICT products into social and political relations. The experts were asked to give a forecast for the near future concerning the forthcoming transformation of civic activity as well as the role of the State in the process. On the basis of the results of the interview the main theses were formulated and a picture of the state of civic activity in Yaroslavl region to date was presented, as well as the image of forthcoming changes in this sphere.