COMPETING MEDIA NARRATIVES AND THEIR IMPACT ON PUBLIC PERCEPTION IN CENTRAL ASIA

The following article examines the role of media in shaping political legitimacy and public perception in Central Asia. Through qualitative content analysis, this study highlights how competing local, Russian, Western, Chinese, and Turkish narratives impact the region’s media environment. Findings identify that domestic media, largely state-run, serve countries national agenda and priorities, Russian outlets maintain influence due to language, historical legacy, and cultural codes, China attempts to portray itself as an important economic partner under its Belt and Road framework, Turkey promotes cultural and linguistic proximity. At the same time, social media emerges as mostly used platform for consuming information among the Central Asian population, particularly youth, who offer an original narrative “Central Asian identity” unlike others mentioned above.