Struggling for the narrative: communication strategies of the government and the opposition in the non-democratic context (the case of Russia)

This study examines how key actors within authoritarian regimes (government and opposition) use different political communication strategies to achieve their strategic goals: maintaining and changing the political status quo, respectively. I study the Russian case as a prime example of an informational or electoral autocracy. My dissertation explores how the government communicates with its loyal citizens and the vertical power structure, including regional and local subordinates. The research also investigates the opposition's strategies to polarize society and examines public responses to these endeavors. The study highlights how Russian central authorities utilize online citizens’ feedback mechanisms to signal to regional elites that their internal political processes and performance are being monitored. I show that the effectiveness of regional elites in building political machines is associated with the Kremlin's semi-official interactions with the regional elites. Focusing on the opposition, the research specifically analyzes the YouTube community formed around Alexei Navalny. I provide empirical evidence on the relatively short-term affective attunement induced by a leader promising social changes within an authoritarian context. I show how the incivility of messages plays a role in further involving commenters in discussions. Users avoid extreme incivility when interacting with other commenters, but uncivil comments are more likely to start discussion threads. Pro-government sentiments are associated with a subsequent response from Navalny’s supporters to the out-group criticism and contribute to the further formation of hubs with a pro-government narrative. From a broader perspective, the dissertation sheds light on the nature of authoritarian control, which involves not just coercion but also persuasion and gaining the loyalty of citizens. It also reveals that opposition communities on social media in Russia's non-democratic context do not entirely isolate their members from opposing viewpoints. Instead, exposure to contrary ideas unifies the group and strengthens their collective identity.