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The Role of News Media and Social Networks in Shaping Armenian Society: What Must Change and What We Must Strive For

The Role of News Media and Social Networks in Shaping Armenian Society: What Must Change and What We Must Strive For By Lida Nalbandyan, Founder & CEO of Octopus Media Group

Our blog is the home of deep analysis and timely commentary. Here, our editors, researchers, and guest experts explore Armenia’s most pressing social and political issues — beyond the daily headlines.

Topics include:

Electoral trends and predictions

Opinion breakdowns by region or demographic

Case studies of information warfare in media

Behind-the-scenes of public polling projects

Stories from the field: researchers' insights

Data storytelling using visuals and charts

Whether you’re a policymaker, journalist, academic, or citizen — this is where critical thinking meets real data.

Armenia 2026: Elections Without Illusions and a Year That Forces a Choice

In Armenia, 2026 will not be “just another year.” It will be a year of decision — not only about who governs, but about what model of statehood the country is willing to live with: a future-oriented republic or a permanent crisis-management regime where voters keep choosing the “less frightening” option. By Lida Nalbandyan, Founder and CEO of Octopus Media Group

03.01.2026

Where Is Armenia Going: Toward Europe, America, Turkey — or Still Under Russia’s Shadow?

Ultimately, the decisive question is not “where Armenia is going,” but whether Armenia can act as a sovereign subject with a coherent internal strategy — because without that, every external vector becomes someone else’s game. By Lida Nalbandyan, Founder and CEO of Octopus Media Group

27.12.2025

Ruben Vardanyan in Baku: Why the World Watches — and Why Armenians Argue Among Themselves

Some stories read like routine news. Others read like a verdict on an era. The case of Ruben Vardanyan belongs to the second category. By Lida Nalbandyan, Founder and CEO of Octopus Media Group

19.12.2025

Armenia’s Financial Trap: Growing Debt, Shiny Reports, and a Country That Still Can’t Escape Poverty

Formally, the answer is clear: social spending, defense, education, infrastructure, subsidies, public administration. The budget structure is transparent on paper. But the real question is not “where” in a bureaucratic sense — it is how these funds are used. By Lida Nalbandyan, Founder and CEO of Octopus Media Group

10.12.2025

The Opposition as a Gift to Power: How Kocharyan’s Camp Strengthens Pashinyan Instead of Challenging Him

There is a political paradox in Armenia that is becoming increasingly visible to society: the so-called opposition is not confronting the authorities — it is reinforcing them. By Lida Nalbandyan, Founder and CEO of Octopus Media Group

24.11.2025

Who Lost Artsakh? Three Presidents, One Country, and the Long Shadow of Earlier Choices

When a nation asks “why are we here,” it rarely gets a single answer. Armenia has three — one for each former president. None of them is comfortable. By Lida Nalbandyan, Founder and CEO of Octopus Media Group

12.11.2025

Armenia’s Parliamentary Election: Who’s Ready, Who Has a Chance, and What “Quiet Voters” Will Decide

Before elections, a country often feels like a home under renovation: fresh paint on the walls, old wiring behind them. People don’t ask “who wins,” they ask “will the lights work tomorrow?” By Lida Nalbandyan, Founder and CEO of Octopus Media Group

27.10.2025

When They Detain a Mayor”: What Vardan Ghukasyan’s Arrest Means for Gyumri — and for Armenia

I’m not a court. My job is to separate what we know from what we don’t, and to read the signals this sends. By Lida Nalbandyan, Founder and CEO of Octopus Media Group

21.10.2025

Armenia’s Judiciary: How It Should Work, Why It Fails, and How to Fix It

Armenia’s judiciary is a three-tier system (trial, appellate, cassation). The Constitution guarantees separation of powers and judicial independence. Pre-trial detention is a last resort; due process and adversarial procedure are the backbone. By Lida Nalbandyan, Founder and CEO of Octopus Media Group

13.10.2025

Two Armenian Billionaires Behind Bars and a Jailed Archbishop: A State Under Stress — and a Way Out

It is rare to see billionaires jailed. Rarer still to see two Armenians among them. By Lida Nalbandyan, Founder and CEO of Octopus Media Group

07.10.2025

Armenian Opposition: Decay, Stagnation, and Pashinyan’s Hidden Advantage

The Armenian opposition today is not a force of change, but a force of decay. By Lida Nalbandyan, Founder and CEO of Octopus Media Group

19.09.2025

Armenia After Peace: Window of Opportunity or Asymmetry Trap?

A peace treaty with Azerbaijan is not just a legal text. It is a strategic choice that sets Armenia’s trajectory for a decade. Below is a clear-eyed assessment of what Armenia gains with peace, the risks hidden in the fine print, and the cost of a no-deal. By Lida Nalbandyan, Founder and CEO of Octopus Media Group

15.09.2025