Social Media as a Tool for Political Self-Presentation: An Analytical Experience of Russian Political Party Representatives' Profiles

Abstract

During the first decades of the 21st century, social media has emerged as one of the most significant means of mass communication. Concurrently, the technological features of new media have transformed communication processes. This article addresses the issue of how politicians’ self-presentations are changing due to their adaptation to the unique aspects of communication on social networks. The study aims to identify the self-presentation strategies employed by Russian politicians in online interactions. The research involved content analysis of posts on the personal pages of politicians on the VKontakte social network. The sample included 375 publications across five pages (75 for each), belonging to politicians who are members of the governing bodies of the parties “United Russia” (D. A. Medvedev), LDPR (L. E. Slutsky), Communist Party of the Russian Federation (G. A. Zyuganov), “Just Russia—Patriots—For the Truth” (S. M. Mironov), and “New People” (A. O. Tkachev). Using cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling, models of self-presentations were developed, and their common and individual features were identified. The study revealed that the impression management strategies used by Russian politicians in social media are characterized by a tendency to showcase professional aspects of their personalities, create a vivid image of the “enemy”, and exhibit a low degree of interactivity.