“Distant” Communication: Transformation of Interaction Between Russian Society and Authorities in the Era of the Global Pandemic

Abstract

Introduction. The article is devoted to the identification and analysis of the dominant trends in the transformation of forms and technologies of communication used by the government and Russian society institutions in the context of the COVID-19 spread. The attention is focused on the characteristics of socio-political factors that determine the level of trust/distrust of citizens and representatives of various social groups to intentions and actions of the authorities and administration at the federal, regional and municipal levels in the Russian Federation to overcome the consequences of the global pandemic in the process of communication. Methods. The communicative practices of public and civil institutions are revealed in the context of interpreting the specifics of the existing public space and public policy of modern Russia. The theoretical and methodological basis of the research are the political-communicative and action-activist approaches, the spatial dimension of political processes principles, which make it possible to rely on the systemic vision of the information and discursive, practical and management elements of the multidimensional concept of public policy. The work uses the methods of political comparative studies, forecasting, interpretation of empirical data obtained by leading Russian and foreign research centers, as well as by the authors in the framework of their grant research. Results. An attempt was made to conduct political analysis of the dominant negative and positive factors revealing the specifics of the COVID-19 spread in the Russian Federation from the point of view of the everyday practices of modern Russian society and the consolidated institutional system of public administration. The authors trace the link between the situation of uncertainty resulting from the spread of the global threat, the desire to ensure international and national security, as well as the transformation of forms and technologies of communication between citizens, public institutions, the state. The real and potential resources of communication between society and the authorities for building an effective system to minimize the negative consequences of the pandemic for representatives of various socio-demographic, professional, and status-role groups, that are included in the structures of discussion, decision-making and implementation, are highlighted. The results of theoretical and empirical studies revealing a public opinion on the impact of COVID-19 on the socio-political process in modern Russia are interpreted. Discussion. The question of the forms and technologies of communication between the actors of modern public policy in the significant decisions making process in the context of strengthening destructive factors and the institutionalization of a “riskgenerating” society remains poorly studied.