Social networks in the service of deputies
The speaker of the Duma appealed to parliamentarians-the bloggers with the request to take responsibility for their posts.
Chairman of the state Duma Vyacheslav Volodin held a meeting with members who are active users of social media. He asked them to take responsibility for posts and promote on the Internet information about the activities of the state Duma, told “Izvestia” two people familiar with the meeting, and confirmed by the Deputy Anatoly Vyborny (“United Russia”).
The meeting was attended by about 30 members, said the interlocutors of “Izvestia”. The speaker gathered those who actively uses social media (according to the made in the lower house rating) and whose entries receive the greatest number of comments and shares, and also become a cause for media publications.
Among active bloggers have been Vitaly Milonov, Natalia Poklonskaya, Anatoly Sidyakin, Vyacheslav Nikonov, and Anatoly Vyborny (all — from “United Russia”).
In the apparatus of the state Duma “news” explained that previously in the lower house only used the rating of references in the media — individual members, committees and the Duma as a whole. This data is communicated to the parliamentarians, however, no conclusions are made.
Responsible bloggers
The interlocutor of “Izvestia”, familiar with the details of the meeting, said that deputies were given guidance on how to behave in the online space. Another source in the lower house said that the speaker drew the attention of colleagues on “the culture of work in social networks”.
— How to Orient the citizens to inform them of our decisions and bills. Asked responsibly to treat this, because the politicians of such level to form the agenda and the mood in society, attitude towards its members as a whole, — said the interlocutor of “Izvestia”.
Participated in the meeting Anatoly Vyborny confirmed the fact of the meeting itself, said that it was not about the “valuable guidance”. It was an exchange of views, the results of which each member has drawn some conclusions.
— I, for example, concluded that social networks is one of the most important tools that gives the ability to convey information correctly, this is a great opportunity to convey to our citizens the true meaning of the initiatives. After all of the work of the Council enough information, and many unscrupulous and incompetent persons that are engaged in destructive criticism of our work, — said the Deputy.
In social networks, according to Anatoly Election, it is necessary to write not a bureaucratic or dry law, and a simple and user-friendly language.
— Then you will understand information better and received more feedback, he said.
Was obliged to report
In January of this year, “Kommersant” with reference to sources in the lower house said that the internal website of the state Duma of the warning to employees about the completion of the reports on “publicly available information”, which they posted online. In the report, you must specify the addresses of their blogs and websites.
In the summer of 2016, the amendments were adopted to the laws “On state civil service of the Russian Federation” and “On municipal service in the Russian Federation” obliging public servants to provide information about his activity in the Internet space. In December came the Bylaw, approving a special reporting form for state and municipal employees.
The requirements of the law apply to employees of administration and Executive office of the President, employees of units of government, state Duma, Federation Council, Supreme and constitutional courts, and the officials of the Prosecutor General and office of the Investigative Committee. The President, Prime Minister, Ministers, deputies and senators under this act are not covered.
Progressive convening
Interviewed by “Izvestia” experts said that social networks have become an important tool in the political space. Director of research Fund ISSI Alexander Fire believes that such tools should be used in the same way as traditional forms of work with mass media, and it is logical that the state Duma asks the question, how effectively it is used and how to improve it.
— The image of the state Duma and the parliamentary system is formed including such seemingly insignificant things as a separate post of one Deputy. Any inadvertently said network, the word can quickly trigger an information campaign in social media with the subsequent release in the major media and greatly damage his reputation and the reputation of his faction and of the Duma as a whole, he said.
In his opinion, a tool like social media is the available reserve for improving the quality of communications work for the “United Russia”, while the opposition has learned how to actively use it.
— Very often about the nature of the adopted law judge from the headlines, which are not always accurately reflect its contents. Voters, and journalists themselves, there is a request to speak with them about the laws not the language of complicated legal structures, and in a normal household, with real-world examples of the impact of norms on the lives of people in the regions. Opposition parties actively use it and if the “United Russia” is not aktiviziruyutsya in this area (and in fact the deputies of the party has yet to explain government bills), there is a risk that the criticism of the laws passed in the network and the media will prevail, — said Alexander Pozhalov.
He also noted that the MPs, especially the single-seat districts, work in social media is a good way to continuously “open acceptance” of voters from the region and stay in local agenda even in those weeks when the MP is physically located on Okhotny Ryad.
More fully the presence of GD in social networks is important both from the point of view of the content of the posts, and from the point of view of form — as another evidence of the “progressiveness” of the new convocation, the analyst believes Abbas Gallyamov.
— It can be very effective. The Duma must show new activities, something that was not there before. The rating of the state Duma grows from the beginning of the new convocation, but now the process of growth has slowed slightly. It is clear that it is impossible indefinitely to tackle the theme of parliamentary discipline and the growing influence of the Duma in the political process. We must look for new arguments, new feedback mechanisms with the voter. From this point of view, the activation of the GD in social networks will be a good news headlines, which are necessary in order for the rating increase has continued, — said the expert.
Deputies need to be trained to use the social networks, it is possible even to carry out special training, the General Director of the Center for political information Alexei Mukhin.
— Social network is a dangerous and double-edged thing. On the one hand, it creates a certain feeling of proximity to power, when it can be touched, and with another — not everyone likes being touched. Often there are conflicts that need to know how to solve. Otherwise, you can get the opposite effect, to harm the image of the government. Very important to be able to distinguish normal citizens from professional destructors that have the skills of so-called trolling and methods of psychological impact and can bring an opponent to his emotional breakdown, he said.
The initiative of the speaker, according to experts, if do not immediately affect the ratings, in the long term will promote the individual members and of party brands and will have an electoral effect.
According to a recently published rating results of the all-Russia centre of studying of public opinion (VTSIOM), the level of support citizens of the state Duma in February rose by 1.3% and amounted to 52.9% (in January — 51.6 per cent). Sociologists have also noted a gradual decline in the disapproval of activity of the state Duma of the population. If in November of last year, 36.5 percent of respondents negatively assessed the work of the lower house of Parliament, in February this indicator has decreased to 32.3%.