In a block of two articles, the authors discuss the effectiveness of digital democracy mechanisms in times of crisis in the development of society. In particular, the COVID-19 pandemic and the situation caused by become the object of analysis. It is assumed that in the so-called Eastern States, due to the peculiarities of the legal mentality and the presence of certain archetypes, critical situations are more easily stopped by public-power mechanisms. The authors believe that in certain conditions, the tools of digital democracy can play a negative role, in particular, it means that in Western societies, what the authors call the “mediavirus” — the result of excessive informatization and freedom of speech — may become even more dangerous than its biological founder.