Transformation of Belarusian Protest Management in Social Media (2020–2021)

The authors analyzed the protest events of August–September 2020 and January–April 2021 in the Republic of Belarus. The content and technological aspects of information flows, the features of the digital infrastructure of the protest, the characteristics of the key moderator of mass protest actions – “Nexta” Telegram channel – were determined using modern methods and tools of social media analysis. This paper concludes that an attempt to restart the mass protest movement by using the strategies and technologies tested in 2020 was unsuccessful. The reason for this is the decline in the quality of administration of information flows, the lack of results from the activities of the opposition movement, and the fatigue of the Belarusian society from the protest agenda. Nevertheless, in the context of the deteriorating social and economic situation in Russia, the risks of repeating the Belarusian scenario of mass protests using a wide range of digital services remain. This fact actualizes the assimilation of experience in the information space and the development of methods to counteract protest activity in social media.