Models of political information perception and behavioral models in contemporary Russian society

Abstract

In Russia, the political agenda is increasingly intertwined with the structure of the media sphere. It has long ceased to be merely a channel for transmitting information: today, it is a space where meanings are constructed, key interpretations are set, and reactions to events are formed. Television, news sites, bloggers, social networks, and Telegram channels all influence how people perceive what is happening and how willing citizens are to engage in public life. As the ways of obtaining information change and competition between sources grows, it becomes particularly important to understand how audiences receive and interpret political messages. The purpose of this article is to collect and systematize contemporary approaches to studying the perception of political content in Russia and the patterns of behavior that arise under the influence of mediatization. The analysis is conducted through the prism of the role of mass media in political communication, which allows us to identify several characteristic features of the Russian information space, such as: fragmentation of the audience into unrelated segments; the emergence of stable information bubbles; the growing role of emotional content; the influence of anonymous digital platforms on political attitudes. The opposition between "television and the internet" and the problems associated with the spread of Telegram channels and fake news are considered separately.