Stuck at home amid COVID-19 pandemic, Ukraine’s youth stay engaged in social life via the Internet. With schools and universities closed, festivals canceled and mass gatherings prohibited, young Ukrainians are spending even more time online than usual.
Social media is spiking during the pandemic, especially Facebook which has over 14 million users in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s thought leaders use Facebook to support youth leadership and encourage civic participation, the survey by the global development and education organization IREX revealed on May 8.
IREX and social media monitoring service SemanticForce has analyzed publicly available content on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram to identify the key influencers engaging Ukraine’s youth, aged 14-35, in discussions of national identity, socio-economic opportunities, and civic issues online.
Top influencers
According to the survey, the most influential individuals among Ukraine’s youth are usually active in politics, journalism, or show business.
The top 3 individuals influencing young people on social media are the former Health Minister Ulana Suprun, Ukrainian TV presenter and journalist Yanina Sokolova, and TV presenter Serhiy Prytula.
Ulana Suprun
Suprun served as acting minister of health from 2016 to 2019, initiated a healthcare reform aiming to provide high-quality medical care for all.
During her time at the ministry and after the resignation, Suprun has been active on social media, writing a blog with health advice and debunking common myths about health.
As of May 9, Suprun has 338,000 followers on Facebook. Almost every one of her posts is supported by official information from related sources, the IREX survey said.
Yanina Sokolova
Sokolova is a Ukrainian actress, journalist, and TV presenter. She hosts the “Evening With Yanina Sokolova” program on YouTube and has over 288,000 subscribers.
Sokolova’s show aims “to fight Russian propaganda” by exposing fake news and elucidating manipulations on Russian media.
According to the IREX survey, Sokolova’s influence on social media mostly comprises central Ukraine.
Serhiy Prytula
Ranked third by IREX, Ukraine’s TV presenter and actor Prytula has over 800 thousand followers on his official page on Facebook.
Apart from his career in show business, Prytula is an active volunteer. He raised money for Ukrainian soldiers in Eastern Ukraine, spends part of the income from his concerts on military aid, and finances the rehabilitation center for war victims in his native town Ternopil.
In 2019 Prytula joined Golos (“Voice”) political party but did not become a member of the parliament.
Among other key Ukraine’s influencers are a former spokesperson for the Ukrainian nationalist political party Right Sector Borislav Bereza, war veteran and writer Valeriy Ananiev, filmmaker and former Kremlin prisoner Oleg Sentsov and modernist writer Oksana Zabuzhko.
Organizations
According to the IREX survey, Ukraine’s youth would rather follow personalities than organizations.
The top 3 most influential online communities are educational and career development platforms Osvita.ua and Prometheus and Ukraine’s scouting organization Plast.
Youth engagement
Audience from central and western Ukraine is the most active in discussions of national identity and civic participation, according to IREX.
Women (61%) are more likely to respond to the posts of thought leaders than men (39%).
Among the audience, 30% are engaged in education, others hold a position in management, healthcare, or media, 15% are self-employed.
