The article examines the phenomenon of “synthetic publics” in the specific sociocultural and political context of the Middle East and Central Asia. It analyzes the transformation of the public sphere under the influence of digitalization and artificially created discourses, which in Eastern societies are acquiring unique hybrid forms. Key areas of analysis include the mechanisms of digital simulation of public opinion, deliberative theories as a discursive basis for understanding “synthetic publics” and their limitations in the context of Eastern civilizational specifics, an analysis of the phenomenon of “synthetic publics”, the specifics of Eastern “deepfakes” and AI propaganda, and empirical features of the use of social media to manage public sentiment in the Middle East and Central Asia. This allows to identify stable patterns of interaction between government and digital society in these regions. Unlike Western models, where “synthetic publics” are often the product of commercial algorithms, in these regions they are closely intertwined with traditional hierarchical structures, clan ties, and state paternalism. The article demonstrates how digital manipulation tools (astroturfing, botnets, deepfakes, generative text models, microtargeting, algorithmic censorship, state super-apps, and sovereign infrastructure) adapt to local civilizational specifics, creating the illusion of mass support or protest. It concludes that “synthetic publics” in the Middle East and Central Asia are not only a tool of political control but also a mechanism for constructing new collective identities in the context of the digital algorithmization of sociocultural and political discourse.
synthetic publics, generative artificial intelligence, political discourse, large language models (LLM), deliberative theories, digital authoritarianism, manipulation of public opinion, civilizational specificity, Middle East, Central Asia