The Internet's impact in Russia
The power of the Internet cannot be denied. Regarding its power in Russia, there is an ongoing academic debate as to whether it is a technology that liberates or one that exerts control. An EU-funded project, MESAPORUS (Mediating semi-authoritarianism: The power of the Internet in Russia), has managed to draw conclusions on sound empirical evidence from contemporary Russia. It has also examined a range of different aspects of political life. The undertaking involved four case studies that explored the main aspects of political communication. Case studies were dedicated to in-depth interviews with students in St. Petersburg and Moscow, as well as a new form of citizen participation on online news websites. They also concerned new types of political representation via representative bodies created through Internet votes and discussions regarding the relationship of new media and politics disseminated by Russia's ruling elites in the official media sphere. Project work has resulted in training as well as in publications. Additionally, the project website has been used to disseminate major news about the project to anyone interested. The information will be useful in the field of mediation research.
Keywords
Russia, Internet-mediated communication, semi-authoritarianism, political communication, mediation research
