Telegram Is More than a Messenger in Belarus

How a Messaging Service Became a Platform for Political Life

29 January 2021

A platform where all political forces and initiatives are present, Telegram has led to the development of political life in a country where politics seemed impossible in principle.

The messaging application Telegram, initially positioning itself as a fast and secure means of communication, has long grown from a communication tool into a full-fledged social network.

Telegram has become an environment from which political actions initiate, which are not able to manifest themselves elsewhere. The application shows how technologies change the established way of life and allow people to overcome mistrust in an atomised society.

Two-fold increase in the share of users

Telegram is the second most popular messenger in Belarus. It is used by 43 per cent of audiences according to Information Policy. Moreover, this application showed an almost two-fold increase in the share of users over this past year. Most of the population uses Viber (73 per cent according to Information Policy).

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Yan Auseyushkin

Yan Auseyushkin is a journalist for BelaPAN and an iSANS investigator.

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