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Georgian Political Parties and Online Social Network: Politics as usual? 

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social media such as weblogs and wikis as well as social media applications and 

services such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.  

With advances in and increased access to information technology, various 

parties and organisations have perceived new possibilities for mobilising citi-

zens, claiming that “the use of this new medium could lead to a more de-

mocratic functioning of society” (Bimber,1998). As citizens and politicians use 

social media platforms to advance ideas, share opinions, disseminate messages, 

and mobilise voters, it seems to be in the interest of political parties to 

efficiently and cost effectively gather feedback from large groups of people. As 

the empirical evidence shows, with rare exceptions, political parties are able and 

willing to use technologies that make them accessible to citizens (Lilleker& 

Jackson, 2010). However, few political parties, institutions, and organisations 

currently invest considerable effort in their online presence, although modern 

communication technologies make it increasingly easy for them to consult 

citizens about key issues in policy-shaping processes.  

This study examines the perceptions of the major Georgian political parties 

regarding social networking sites as a means of communication with voters. The 

paper also seeks to identify the innovative practices that were adapted and 

incorporated by political parties and their leaders into their day-to-day activities 

during their 2012 parliamentary election campaigns in Georgia. This research 

will test the following two hypotheses: (1) electoral campaigns are occasions to 

increase the political use of the Internet in general and social networks in 

particular; (2) the intensive use of online social networks and modern commu-

nication technologies provide competitive advantages that may play a 

significant role in the final outcome of elections. Given the political dynamics 

and political party landscape in Georgia prior to the 2012 election, particular 

attention is paid to the political actors who benefited from new media. This 

paper also examines whether new technologies empowered newcomers or 

benefited traditional political actors.  

Internet and Social Media in Georgia: Main Facts and Tendencies 

According to official statistics, Georgia’s population is estimated to be 

4,497,600 people,

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 more than 1,300,000 of whom had access to the Internet by 

2

  See further details: National Statistics office of Georgia. Main statistics. Population 

Available at: http://geostat.ge/index.php?action=page&p_id=152&lang=eng

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Kornely Kakachia, Tamar Pataraia 

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August 2012.

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 A 2011 report by the Georgian National Communications Com-

mission

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 found that the number of Internet users is increasing by 3%-5% every 

year. If this trend continues unabated, in several years, the Internet will have a 

noticeable impact on Georgian public life. Experts claim that when at least 50% 

of a country’s population – the amount described as a critical mass – obtains ac-

cess to the World Wide Web, the Internet will have a sufficient level of influence 

to shape public opinion. This is not yet the case in Georgia, where the number of 

Internet users was approximately 29% of the country’s population in 2010.

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These estimates support the official data on the number of Internet subscri-

ptions, which show that approximately 100,000 new Internet subscriptions (indi-

vidual users and legal entities) are registered in the country every year. Accor-

ding to the Georgian National Communications Commission (NCC), approxima-

tely 429,228 accounts had subscribed to Internet in Georgia in 2012

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 (Tab. 1).  

Table 1: Internet Subscriptions in Georgia (2010-1012) (absolute values) 

1st Quarter 

2010

1st Quarter 

2011

1st Quarter 

2012 

DSL Technology 

135,849 176,130 210,807 

Fibre-Optic 

Technology 

65,532 93,463 142,809 

EVDO&CDMA 

Technology 

33,345 55,789 61,672 

Wi-Fi&WiMax 

Technology 

3,679 6,917 13,443 

Other Technology 

1,041 809  497 

 

239,446 333,108 429,228 

Source: Georgian National Communication Commission (GNCC) 

3

  Internet World statistics: Georgia. Available at: http://www.internetworldstats.com/asia.htm#ge

(Retrieved 30 April 2013))

4

  Georgian National Communications Commission. Annual Report 2011. Available at: 

http://www.gncc.ge/files/3100_2949_314871_1.pdf

5

  Internet World statistics: Georgia. Available at: http://www.internetworldstats.com/asia.htm#ge

(Retrieved 30 April 2013)

6

  Georgian National Communication Commission, “Statistical Data”, 22 June 2012, 

http://www.gncc.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=50623 accessed 5 April 2013.

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Georgian Political Parties and Online Social Network: Politics as usual? 

103

Despite the growing number of Internet retail subscribers in Georgia, a 

limited number of people use the Internet every day and are actively engaged in 

social media. According to the Caucasus Research Resource Centre (CRRC) 

survey, Caucasus Barometer 2011, less than 25% of the Georgian adult po-

pulation uses the Internet on a daily basis. Moreover, 49% of the population has 

never used the Internet, and 6% has no idea what the Internet is (Fig. 1).

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Figure 1: Frequency of Internet Use in Georgia in 2011(percentages) 

Source: Caucasus Research Resources Centre (CRRC) 

Further assessment of the same survey results shows that 34% of the 

Georgian adult population has regular opportunities to use Internet. Taking into 

account the official 2012 figures that put the number of Georgia’s adults aged 

18 and over at 3,433,000,

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 it can be concluded that approximately 800,000  

users access the Internet 

often, and approximately half of that number surf the 

web from time to time (once a week or once a month).Among regular Internet 

users (daily or once a week), who constitute 34% of the country’s adult 

population, 26% said that Facebook was their first choice for socialising online 

(Fig. 2). Thus, approximately 330,255 thousands of adult Internet users spend 

most of their online time on Facebook.  

Figure 2: Most Frequent Internet Activities – Use of Facebook (percentages) 

7

  Caucasus Research Resource Centers. "2011 Caucasus Barometer". Retrieved from 

http://www.crrccenters.org/caucasusbarometer/ on 15 April, 2012

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   National Statistics Office in Georgia, GeoStat data 2012  

http://www.geostat.ge/?action=page&p_id=151&lang=geo

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