Role of digital tools in community management and urban participation (evidence of Belarus)

Abstract

This article is devoted to an analysis of the “hybrid neighborhood” phenomenon. Traditionally, a Soviet residential yard is presented in urban studies as the sphere of a neighbor’s active participation. The post-Soviet changes have significantly weakened the activities of neighbor communities; however, the spread of digital communication tools (social networks and messengers) has led to an increase in civic engagement in cities (new forms of neighboring communities are created, traditions of spending time together with neighbors revived, and individuals are actively involving in the struggle for their “place in the city”). The empirical materials that are analyzed reveal the features of neighbors interacting demonstrate the differences between “neighbor” and “civil” communication modes, define the role of online communities in local self-government, and practically implement the “right to the city.”