Local Social Media Groups: New Local Communities, Social Media, Or a Foothold for Digital Activism

Local digital communities on the Internet are becoming more and more influential and are gradually taking the place of traditional forms of neighborly communication. At the theoretical and empirical level, the authors investigate the nature of local digital communities and their relationship with the traditional concept of “local community”. Based on the analysis of the local information space of the Internet in 4 cities of Russia, differing in population size and level of socio-economic development, it was concluded that neighboring groups in social networks and messengers belong to communities of a new type, communication in which is based on the discussion of current local news and household issues. Given the growing involvement of the population to participate in digital communities, it is necessary to remember their importance for mobilizing offline activities. The results obtained in the course of the study can be used by municipal authorities to build effective communication with civil society. In turn, the product of scientific work can help local activists better understand the nature of citizen involvement in digital communities, which will allow them to more effectively organize collective activities to protect the interests of citizens and solve local problems.