Commonly known as Russia's Paris Hilton, Ksenia Sobchak has announced her plans to run for President in the 2018 Russian election. Announcing her candidacy via a YouTube video, Sobchak is using both social media and television as a way to freely express her political views and ideas.
Sobchak has recently appeared on the independent channel TV Rain where she stated, “Over the past 17 years a whole new generation has grown up that wants to see a different Russia that is civilised and European." Pictured to the left is Sobchak at a news conference addressing her plans to run for president.
Sobchak has been evolving from a reality TV star into a presidential candidate in recent years. In 2004, she hosted Dom-2, a reality show where contestants discuss relationships by a campfire. Her time on Dom-2 ended in 2012 when her political protests against Putin did not align with the show's reputation. Sobchak gained other reality TV experience from Who Does NOT Want To Be a Millionaire, Last Hero-6, Sweet Life of a Blonde, Myz-TV Awards, and Two Stars.
Sobchak began her career on political television in 2010 through Freedom of Thought on state-run Channel 5. Originally airing in 2011, Sobchak Live is currently on TV Rain. In 2012, MTV Russia aired one episode of GosDep, meaning State Department, with Ksenia Sobchak. The “Where is Putin Leading Us?” episode features interviews from the head of the left front Sergei Udaltsov, head of the solidarity movement Ilya Yashin, and eco-activist Yevgeniya Chirikova. MTV Russia’s audience's lack of interest in politics caused the show to be cancelled.
It seems as though Sobchak has been struggling to be taken seriously as a political candidate due to her past reality TV career and socialite reputation. Sobchak is attempting to use her experience on talk shows and round table style television to transition her career into a political one. She tends to leave TV shows if they do not share her same oppositional political views.
In addition to TV, Sobchak uses western social media outlets such as YouTube and Instagram. She does not have a strong presence on Russian, government operated social media sites. On Sobchak’s official website, there are links to her YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and lastly Vkontakte. Sobchak has 33,071 followers on VK, which is a much smaller number in comparison to her 5 million Instagram followers.
Instagram has become widespread in Russia and is challenging the traditional advertising landscape of the nation. On Sobchak’s Instagram account, she shares her upcoming appearances, political views, family, and lavish lifestyle with her 5 million plus followers. The 36-year-old is married to actor Maksim Vitorgan whom she has an infant child with.
While 98 percent of Russians are aware of Ksenia Sobchak and her plans to run for President, most do not believe she is a serious candidate. Only 6 percent of Russians believe Sobchak will have a successful political career according to a survey by the All-Russia Public Opinion Research Center. Many people think that Sobchak's only real experience is through her political television career.
Sobchak has been unofficially banned as a presenter on state TV since joining anti-Kremlin efforts back in 2012. Using social media allows her to promote herself outside of TV Rain. Publicizing her Presidential bid on YouTube lets Sobchak reach larger audiences without the threat of being filtered by pro-Kremlin media outlets. She proves that websites like YouTube can be a threat to nations with heavily government controlled media.