Dialogue Between Authorities and Citizens in New Uzbekistan
Abstract
Observation of everyday life and numerous studies show that over the last two decades, communication between people has increasingly moved to the sphere of social media (World Economic Forum, 2015). This also applies to the practice of using these platforms by the authorities, which implement their strategies of influencing citizens (European Commission, n.d.). However, current technological solutions create different conditions for communication than before (OECD, 2021). In this article, the authors present an analysis of the communication process between the authorities and society in Uzbekistan - a country that is undergoing a process of political transformation after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The subject of the study was social media, which is the main channel of communication in the modern world. The analysis covers the years 2023-2024, and the primary data was collected in the form of an online survey and interviews with a questionnaire based on two groups: users of a popular news portal and representatives of central and regional authorities.
The study results indicate:
- a fundamental discrepancy between the expectations of citizens (public opinion) in contemporary Uzbekistan and the media activities currently implemented by the authorities of this country;
- limited or low effectiveness of the content and the way it is presented, in particular the deficiency of such aspects as the attractiveness of the content (its usefulness, importance for the recipient) and the transparency of the message (providing sources, credibility);
- confirm the principle known in the literature that in order for the authorities to influence society in order to engage it, it is necessary to build trust.
Keywords
Trust, transparency, responsiveness, engagementHow to Cite
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