Legitimization and institutionalization of digital forms of political activity of North Caucasus youth

This article examines how digital forms of political activity among youth in the North Caucasus gain legitimacy and become institutionalized. It treats these processes as a key factor shaping the transformation of civic participation in a hybrid institutional environment. Drawing on a large-scale sociological study conducted across all regions of the macroregion, the authors reconstruct the complex patterns of political socialization with-in the digital generation. The work empirically and theoretically argues the phenomenon of “digital muteness”, which describes a stable gap between high hidden engagement with the information agenda and a low willing-ness to speak publicly. The authors show that this phenomenon emerges from the combined effects of perceived digital risks, a deficit of institutionally protected channels for expression, and sociocultural limitations of the public subjectivity of youth. The authors focus on the verification of the hypothesis that digital activism has a compensatory nature. Under this hypothesis, online space provides an alternative channel for expressing civic demands, especially for groups excluded from official youth policy frameworks. The results highlight the need to rethink legal regulation of the digital environment. They aim to overcome the divergence between official and online paths of socialization and creating conditions that help young people turn their technological potential into constructive civic co-creation.

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