Visual aspects of online political communication in Belarus during the political crisis of 2020

Abstract

An empirical study of the visual political communication via Telegram channels during the political crisis in Belarus in 2020 is introduced. The method of qualitative and quantitative content analysis was applied to 625 images and videos retrieved from competing Belarusian Telegram channels during two weeks before and after the election day of August 9, 2020. The results revealed both the general characteristics of the visual political communication in Belarusian Telegram sector and the way opposing political forces used visual content in the period under analysis. The pro-government channels maintained a value-oriented approach, engaging visuals to broadcast Belarusian values and state power symbols. Their visual content involved prominent public and political figures. The opposition channels applied visuals to denounce the authorities and their supporters, as well as to mobilize the opposition-minded Telegram users. They employed a greater variety of visual forms, relying mostly on user-generated content, e.g., live reports from protest sites. Visuals with protesting crowds, casualties, and opposition symbols were aimed at evoking a sense of involvement: they were meant to become triggers for transiting from online activism to actual offline protests.