The Contemporary Political Processes Transformation in the Context of Society Digitalization: Key Scenarios

Abstract

Intensive introduction into actual political practice of digital communication technologies causes the need for scientists and experts to study several important issues related to the phenomenon of digitalization at the current stage of human civilization evolution. First of all, we are interested in the question of whether the introduction of digital communications into contemporary political processes causes corresponding transformations in the spheres of the functioning of the state and society. How correct is it to talk about the digitalization of the state and society by political scientists? Another essential issue for us is the definition of influence vectors: do the emergence and widespread dissemination of new types of communication technologies affect the emergence and development  of new types of social and political systems, or the state only uses new technological capabilities to ensure the effectiveness of political governance processes in today’s environment, maintaining and supporting the potential of traditional political regimes? What is the mutual influence of new communication technologies and political power institutions at present? Finally, the extremely important for us issue is what effects in the political sphere are generated by the implementation of digital communication technologies into actual practice and what are the main scenarios for the transformation of the contemporary political space in such conditions. Consideration of these issues is the subject of this work. The author makes an attempt to show that we can talk today about real transformations in the parameters of the state and society functioning, as well as in the sphere of their interaction. At the same time, traditional political regimes, having ceased to act as a monopoly source of political information due to the emergence of alternative actors of information and communication activities and the formation of competitive political space, are actively trying to maintain political control and stability in the current environment. Most scenarios of the evolution and transformation of the political space in the context of digitalization are associated precisely with the attempts of traditional institutions of power to maintain control over the sources, channels, and content of digital communication processes. At the same time, the socio-political interaction of the state and society becomes more intense in quantitative terms. However, the content side of this interaction is not undergoing significant changes.