Social networks in the activities of executive authorities: adaptation to new ways of interaction

Abstract

Social networks are used by 72% of the Russian population, government agencies are involved in digital communication through social networks to preserve information influence and establish a dialogue with society. The state of interaction between authorities and citizens in social networks is described by evolutionary stages, which differ in the intensity of interaction between authorities and users. In 2022, the list of popular social networks that are used in Russia has changed, a decision was made on mandatory registration of public authorities in social networks. The purpose of the article is to evaluate the practice of interaction of federal executive authorities in social networks. The study used quantitative and comparative methods that reveal the specifics of the interaction of federal executive authorities in social networks, the activity of official pages was evaluated using the social network analytics program. The study of official accounts showed that the authorities are at different stages of adaptation, some federal executive authorities are absent from social networks, the second group is at the stage of "registration and informing", the third group has advanced to the stage of "interaction". The reasons for the various activities of the authorities have been identified. The results can be useful in determining the policy of government agencies in social networks and developing recommendations on the organization of maintaining official accounts.