SOCIAL NETWORKS IN GLOBAL POLITICAL INTERACTION: CHALLENGES OF FAKES, MANIPULATIONS AND POST-TRUTH IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Abstract

The article examines social media as a key factor in the transformation of modern political communication in the context of globalization and digitalization. The problem is posed by the fact that social media radically change the channels of interaction between politicians and the public, bypassing traditional media, which leads to the personalization of politics, image formation and rapid response to events. At the same time, however, such networks pose numerous challenges, including the spread of fakes, disinformation, manipulations, and the formation of the post-truth phenomenon, which undermine trust in democratic institutions and contribute to the polarization of society.An analysis of recent research and publications shows that the issue of social media in political communication is being actively studied in the context of the impact of digital technologies on democratic processes. In particular, the works of H. Yasha highlight the role of influencers and the commercialization of political content; I. Olefir emphasizes the dependence of access to information on political preferences; K. Afanasieva studies the social and security consequences of the spread of fakes, and P. Herbaudo and S. Blassnig study the phenomenon of digital populism. At the same time, scholarly discourse pays insufficient attention to the interaction of universalization (through English-language accounts) and fragmentation (through local memes), as well as the role of emotional narratives in the context of post-truth.The purpose of the article is to comprehensively analyze the impact of social media on political communication in the global context, to study the transformation of political interaction, mechanisms of information and disinformation dissemination, and to outline the main risks for democratic institutions in the digital age. The main material of the study analyzes how social networks transform political communication at the local, national and global levels, personalizing political discourse and simultaneously creating challenges of fragmentation.Particular attention is paid to the dominance of English in official accounts and the impact of local memes on political mobilization. The spread of populist messages through the algorithmic mechanisms of social networks, as well as the phenomenon of post-truth as a result of the prevalence of emotional narratives over facts, which is increasing in the digital environment, are investigated. The role of influencers in promoting politically oriented content is revealed, focusing on their commercialization and emotional content.The conclusions show that social networks, despite democratizing access to information, pose risks to the sustainability of democratic institutions due to fragmentation, polarization and manipulation. The author emphasizes the need to regulate and implement ethical standards in the digital environment to ensure open dialogue, transparency and privacy protection.