The article examines the phenomenon of political manipulation as a mechanism for using hidden technologies in the political sphere to achieve political goals. Analysis of manipulation without ethical assessment allows us to highlight the following characteristics of the phenomenon: a communication act, the form of which depends on the goals of the subject; an alternative to authoritarian power, which involves achieving the goals of the subject without the use of violence; often does not include explicit threats to the object. The author believes that manipulation should be perceived with a dual view: if the actions of the subject take into account the interests of the object, the manipulation process becomes constructive and is perceived as socially acceptable, creative, albeit hidden control. In the case when the subject acts with selfish intentions, manipulation is perceived negatively and condemned by society. Political manipulation is the use of manipulative technologies in politics to achieve political goals. The main tool of political manipulation is the media, through which you can quickly reach a large audience. It was found that the close connection between political manipulation and the media leads to a change in the nature of manipulation in politics in parallel with a change in the media environment.
Keywords: political manipulation, manipulative technologies, media, information war.