Main approaches to political propaganda on the Internet in the Russian expert community

The article presents results of the author’s study, carried out by the method of anonymous survey of leading domestic experts. The questionnaire is devoted to the approaches of Russian scientists to political propaganda on the Internet. The objectives of the study are to identify relevant positions and dominant views on this topic, as well as analysis and development of proposals for the modernization of the relevant state policy. The article provides a brief overview of currently existing studies on the topic considered by the author. The empirical base of the study is formed on the basis of data obtained as a result of a structured survey conducted from September to October 2024, aimed at representatives of scientific community specializing in the field of propaganda on the Internet, including questions aimed at identifying expert assessments of the effectiveness of Internet propaganda, as well as highlighting the main forecasts for its development. Based on thorough analysis of the opinions of competent specialists, a conclusion was made about the presence of a critical attitude to the process of deglobalization of the “world wide web” and increasing fragmentation of the information field. In order to potentially respond to this situation, the author puts forward the idea of introducing a new regulatory instrument, namely the status of a “qualified Internet user”, which could become the subject of regulation by the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor), acting in analogy with the status of a “qualified investor” regulated by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. This approach involves establishing certain criteria for assigning the status, as well as developing mechanisms for monitoring the activities of users who meet the established criteria.