Analysis
Politics
Hungary at a Crossroads: Economic Turmoil, Internal Dissent and the Rise of Péter Magyar – QUICK TAKE
2 October 2024
8 February 2021
On Belarusian Instagram, the bulk of pro-regime content is made up of posts and stories with photographs from events in support of the dictatorship or the security forces. However, these are no match to the long-standing popularity of the platform for democratic leaders and civic activists.
Until the spring and summer of 2020, Instagram content in Belarus was much less politically coloured than posts shared on Facebook, Vkontakte or Odnoklassniki.
However, the intense presidential campaign of 2020, especially its direct consequences, led to a significant change of content on Belarusian Instagram. Along with a growing interest in politics and the ongoing political events in the country, the content of the posts made by Belarusians also changed.
Quite unexpectedly, in the summer of 2020, Instagram turned into another digital platform for both Belarusian civic activism and the channelling of propaganda in favour of the Alyaksandr Lukashenka regime.