Democracy, protest and public sphere in Russia after the 2011–2012 anti-government protests: digital media at stake

Denisova, A. 2017. Democracy, protest and public sphere in Russia after the 2011–2012 anti-government protests: digital media at stake. Media, Culture & Society. 39 (7), pp. 976-994. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443716682075

TitleDemocracy, protest and public sphere in Russia after the 2011–2012 anti-government protests: digital media at stake
TypeJournal article
AuthorsDenisova, A.
Abstract

The 2011–2012 Russian protest mobilisations were largely enabled by the rise of social networks. Social and technological advancements paired to pave the way for the ‘biggest protests since the fall of USSR’. Ubiquitous and uncensored social media facilitated the networking and mobilisation for this protest activity: Liberal masses were able to share and discuss their grievances, unite and coordinate online for the offline protest. The digitally savvy protest public developed to confront the government, which appeared to be astonished by the scale of protest. Those mobilisations marked an important gap between the government’s conception of the society and the real state of resistance. This article studies three main hypotheses regarding the potential of the protest movement in Russia. The hypotheses were drawn from recent sociological, political and media studies on Russian resistance. Current research aims to contribute to the debate from the digital media perspective. It therefore evaluates three main assumptions: Digital media have the potential to empower, dependent upon the relevant political, social and economic factors; digital media isolates protest publics and therefore may be more useful for the government than the resistance; and recent censorship of digital media communication signals a tightening of both formal and informal restrictions against opposition and protest politics. This article uses theoretical and factual evidence on the limitations of democracy and the public sphere and conceptualises the government’s management of resistance in Russia during and after the 2011–2012 protests. It studies how the hybrid political regime in Russia balances restrictions on freedom of speech with strengthened state propaganda and how it mediates media oppression and invites self-censorship. Finally, it examines how the state communication watchdog has recently focused its attention at the digital realm. This move confirms the importance of the online protest communication for the Russian political environment. Yet the state’s acknowledgement of digital political resistance may lead to further oppression and curbing of this emerging component of Russian politics.

JournalMedia, Culture & Society
Journal citation39 (7), pp. 976-994
ISSN0163-4437
Year2017
PublisherSage
Accepted author manuscript
File Access Level
Open (open metadata and files)
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443716682075
Publication dates
Published online09 Dec 2016
Published in print09 Dec 2016

Related outputs

Viral journalism. Strategy, tactics and limitations of the fast spread of content on social media: case study of the UK quality publications
Denisova, A. 2022. Viral journalism. Strategy, tactics and limitations of the fast spread of content on social media: case study of the UK quality publications. Journalism. 24 (9), pp. 2899-2913. https://doi.org/10.1177/14648849221077749

‘Viral journalism’, is it a thing? Adapting quality reporting to shifting social media algorithms and wavering audiences
Denisova, A. 2021. ‘Viral journalism’, is it a thing? Adapting quality reporting to shifting social media algorithms and wavering audiences. in: Morrison, J., Birks, J. and Berry, M. (ed.) The Routledge Companion to Political Journalism Oxford Routledge. pp. 271-278

Fashion Media and Sustainability
Denisova, A. 2021. Fashion Media and Sustainability. London, UK University of Westminster Press.

How to define 'viral' for media studies?
Denisova, A. 2020. How to define 'viral' for media studies? Westminster Papers in Communication and Culture. 15 (1), pp. 1-4. https://doi.org/10.16997/wpcc.375

From High Visibility to High Vulnerability: Feminist, Postcolonial and Anti-Gentrification Activism at Risk
Denisova, A. and O'Brien, M. 2019. From High Visibility to High Vulnerability: Feminist, Postcolonial and Anti-Gentrification Activism at Risk. Westminster Papers in Communication and Culture. 14 (1), pp. 94-98. https://doi.org/10.16997/wpcc.323

Internet Memes and Society: Social, Cultural, and Political Contexts
Denisova, A. 2019. Internet Memes and Society: Social, Cultural, and Political Contexts. New York, NY Taylor & Francis.

How Russian Rap on YouTube Advances Alternative Political Deliberation: Hegemony, Counter- Hegemony, and Emerging Resistant Publics
Denisova, A. and Herasimenka, A. 2019. How Russian Rap on YouTube Advances Alternative Political Deliberation: Hegemony, Counter- Hegemony, and Emerging Resistant Publics. Social Media + Society. 5 (2), pp. 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305119835200

Parody Microbloggers as Chroniclers and Commentators on Russian Political Reality
Denisova, A. 2017. Parody Microbloggers as Chroniclers and Commentators on Russian Political Reality. Demokratizatsiya: The Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization. 25 (1), pp. 23-41.

A Comparative Cyberconflict Analysis of Digital Activism Across Post-Soviet Countries
Karatzogianni, A., Miazhevich, G. and Denisova, A. 2017. A Comparative Cyberconflict Analysis of Digital Activism Across Post-Soviet Countries. Comparative Sociology. 16 (1), pp. 102-126. https://doi.org/10.1163/15691330-12341415

Permalink - https://westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk/item/q0843/democracy-protest-and-public-sphere-in-russia-after-the-2011-2012-anti-government-protests-digital-media-at-stake


Share this

Usage statistics

162 total views
897 total downloads
These values cover views and downloads from WestminsterResearch and are for the period from September 2nd 2018, when this repository was created.