POLITICAL RESPONSIBILITY OF BLOGGERS AS THE SOCIAL COMMUNICATION PARTICIPANTS

Abstract

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of the bloggers political responsibility application as subjects of public communication. The relevance of the chosen research topic is justified by the lack of specified topic scientific research, the strengthening of the bloggers role in the society socio-political life. The author gradually examines the importance of the blogosphere in the modern Internet space, conducts a comparative analysis of the bloggers legal regulation with representatives of journalistic activity and mass media. The point of view that bloggers are media subjects and are not equal to journalists in accordance with the Law of Ukraine "About Media" is supported. Based on the analysis of the activities of Ukrainian bloggers in various social networks such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, a comparative analysis of political blogs popularity, the involvement of bloggers in the political life of Ukrainian society, and possible cases of their criminal, administrative and political responsibility is conducted. The point of view that political responsibility can be applied for blogging with political content even if blogger does not violate criminal and administrative legal prescriptions, and blog doesn’t contain disinformation is argued. For a blogger to become politically responsible, it is enough to spread content of a political orientation, which can influence the formation of false ideas about socio-political processes, change public opinion, and reflect negatively on future political or historical events. It was concluded that the political responsibility of bloggers comes regardless of their popularity, professional content and persuasiveness, a blogger can be subjected to political responsibility even for a one-time post. It is substantiated that due to the specificity of the activity of bloggers, moral and political responsibility is most often applied to them, the political and legal responsibility of a blogger arises when a blog is run by an official of public authorities, local self-government bodies. Political responsibility of bloggers can arise as the main and as additional along with criminal and administrative responsibility.