SOCIAL MEDIA AS A SPACE OF POLITICAL COMMUNICATION
The events of recent decades show that social media are becoming the leading instrument of political struggle, and political struggle in its most destructive forms, which actualizes further comprehension of this phenomenon of political life. The article examines the role of social media in mobilizing protest sentiments and intensifying political protests of the last decade in various countries of the world. In the work, using statistical data, it was proved that nowadays social media often become a destructive factor in the political process, capable of mobilizing part of the population to commit illegal political actions. Thus, the purpose of this article is to comprehend the role of social networks in mobilizing protest sentiments, intensifying political protests of the last decade in various countries of the world.It is pointed out that the activity of new social media as an instrument of political struggle cannot be underestimated, since all the “revolutionary events” of the last decade took place against the background of a significant increase in political activity in social networks. The study confirmed the existence of legislation in various countries of the world that regulates the functioning of converged media. Legal regulation of the latter occurs within the framework of the conditional “eastern” and “western” models. The first is characterized by dominant state control over the media space. The second gives the state the right to regulate and establish a reasonable balance between the regulatory framework and self - regulation instruments. At the same time, it is the first, "Eastern model" that seems to be the most suitable in modern conditions for controlling social media, counteracting their destructive political impact. The study allows one to say that at present, social media often become a destructive factor in the political process, capable of mobilizing part of the population to commit illegal political actions. The activity of new social media, as an instrument of political struggle, cannot be underestimated, since all the "revolutionary events" of the last decade are in one way or another connected with political activity in social networks.