THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF POLITICAL CRISES

This article examines the role of social media in the development of political crises and its impact on political processes and public opinion. The introduction describes the significance of social media in the context of political crises, emphasising their ability to quickly disseminate information and shape public opinion. Social media provide a platform for expressing opinions and organising mass actions, making them key players in times of political instability. The examples of the Arab Spring and the Hong Kong protests demonstrate how social media can help mobilise populations and draw international attention to political events. The research methods include content analysis of social media publications and posts related to key political events, as well as analyses of academic publications and reports. It allows the comparison of data from social media with the findings of researchers and experts in the field of media and political science.
The results of the study show that social media play a significant role in political crises by influencing public opinion and political processes. The analysis reveals that in times of crisis, social media users' activity increases dramatically, which contributes to radicalisation of sentiments and increased polarisation of society. Social media also prove to be a source of misinformation and propaganda, which can exacerbate a crisis and make it more difficult to resolve.
The discussion in the article emphasises the need to develop strategies to prevent the spread of misinformation and ensure transparency and credibility of information in social media. This requires co-ordination of efforts between different actors including government agencies, civil society and private companies. The article concludes with the importance of social media in political processes and the need to develop strategies for their effective use in political crises.
The article offers a comprehensive analysis of the role of social media in political crises and presents important findings for understanding their impact on contemporary society and the political landscape.

1. Christians, C.G., Glasser, T.L., McQuail, D., Nordenstreng, K., & White, R.A. (2009). Normative Theories of the Media: Journalism in Democratic Societies. University of Illinois Press.

2. Fairclough, N. (1995). Critical Discourse Analysis: The Critical Study of Language. Longman.

3. Harding, A. (2014). Zimbabwe: Mugabe's wife Grace reveals political ambitions. BBC News.

4. Kwaramba, F. (2014). Mugabe's wife Grace enters politics. The Herald.

5. Misihairabwi-Mushonga, P. (2014). Grace Mugabe's political rise in Zimbabwe. NewsDay.

6. Engblom, A. (2021). The role of the media in times of crises. Report of the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media, Council of Europe.

7. Tiripelli, G., & Reilly, P. (2017). News Media and Crisis-Management. CASCEFF Project.

8. Reilly, P., & Atanasova, D. (2016). A report on the role of the media in the information flows that emerge during crisis situations.

9. Fuchs, C. (2020). Everyday Life and Everyday Communication in Coronavirus Capitalism. TripleC.

10. Goode, J., Stroup, D., & Gaufman, E. (2020). Everyday Nationalism in Unsettled Times: In Search of Normality during Pandemic. Nationalities Papers.