From the editorial office. A wave of social protests swept through the countries of North Africa and the Middle East. Observers claim that “social media” played an important role in these processes. At what point and why did social media turn into a politically dangerous tool? About this "Russian magazine" talked with a specialist in the field of politics and media Sarah OATS.

Over the past years, there has been a tendency to strengthen the influence of social networks on the organization of people in the community. Thanks to Facebook, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, the process of creating new groups, creating communities of people who adhere to common views and a general understanding of reality are accelerated. Thanks to social networks, the coordination of members of these new communities reaches a higher level, thanks to them the information spreads faster.

From the editorial office. A wave of social protests swept through the countries of North Africa and the Middle East. Observers claim that “social media” played an important role in these processes. At what point and why did social media turn into a politically dangerous tool? On this subject, the Russian Journal talked with a specialist in the sociology of the media, an expert on the countries of the Middle East, Nudzedin Malidi .

From the editorial office. A wave of social protests swept through the countries of North Africa and the Middle East. Observers claim that “social media” played an important role in these processes. At what point and why did social media turn into a politically dangerous tool? The sociologist, specialist in the social influence of new technologies Zeynep Tuifochi , answers the questions of the Russian Journal.