Ukhanova Y.V. Digitization of Civic Participation: Key Trends, Opportunities, and Risks in Achieving Social Effects. Russian Foundation for Basic Research Journal Humanities and social sciences. 2026. No. 1 (124). Pp. 118-126. DOI: 10.22204 ...

Текст статьи на сайте РЦНИ URL: https://rcsi.science/upload/medialibrary/3d7/5ts334jjshatwms7m9fnqw32kzcxwol5/RFBR_1(124)2026_118-126.pdf (дата обращения 05.11.2026)

Abstract

This article identifies the opportunities and risks associated with population participation in the development of Russian regions amid the digitization of public life. The research methodology is based on the concept of civic participation, understood as the activities of the population to achieve the common good through interaction with authorities (vertical interaction) and among themselves in everyday life (horizontal interaction). Using a set of developed sociological instruments (a public opinion survey of the population of several regions of the Northwestern Federal District, N=2,700; a series of expert interviews, N = 47; and focus group interviews, N=8, with representatives of regional authorities, business, the non‑profit sector, and the media), the author evaluates the intensity, direction, effects, and risks of citizen engagement in political and social civic participation practices that take place online. It was determined that, with respect to all presented types of participation, the population of the regions examined exhibits a preference for offline involvement (i.e., physical presence). Regardless of Internet use, citizens are more involved in social practices than in political ones. To develop civic participation among regional populations, it is becoming timely to actively use digital resources as a source of information, as a simplified mechanism for society‑government interaction, and as a tool for mobilizing public potential. Online participation should complement, not replace, civic initiatives for regional development in real life; otherwise, risks arise of imitation of socially important activities, manipulation within information and communication influence, and agenda‑setting through the mass support of digital communities and online users. The author substantiates the effectiveness of a hybrid civic participation including various offline and online practices of socially important activity.