site.btaEuropean Studies Expert: Social Media Is the Likely Winner in Elections

Speaking to BTA, Prof. Ingrid Shikova, one of the founders of the Department of European Studies at the St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia, said that "social media and technology are the likely winners in these elections", adding that this phenomenon is not limited to Bulgaria alone.

"We see that those who are on YouTube, TikTok, etc., are winning," she added. Shikova said that she talks to many young people and the landscape is varied. "Some of them are seriously engaged, others are indifferent, but we can see that social media largely shapes the civic consciousness of young people, which is not ideal," she noted. Shikova believes that there is a need for a much more systematic civic education that would really develop personalities.

"The die has been rolled. We already know the nearly final results," Shikova said. In her words, there are no major surprises in the European Parliament elections, especially when it comes to Bulgaria.

"What we lost from the fact that national and European elections were held simultaneously was that our national problems somehow overshadowed the European ones," she said. Shikova expected "much more to be said about the future of Europe and our vision of it as Bulgarians".

She noted that following the elections, people have commented more on the results of the Bulgarian National Assembly elections than on the outcome of the European Parliament elections.

Shikova noted that there are very interesting trends in Europe. "On the one hand, we will keep the pro-European majority, but on the other hand, there are worrisome things that we should not overlook," she noted, citing France, Germany, and Italy as examples. "Europe needs cool heads and warm hearts to be protected in this moment. We should not bury our heads in the sand like ostriches and think that everything is fine," Shikova said. In her words, Europe will continue to exist, but the question is how.