Platform as a Factor of Digital Imperialism in the Russian Information Space

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Abstract

The digital imperialism is a modern dimension of classical economic imperialism and uses tools such as digital platforms to disseminate information and accumulate and call financial capital from countries of the periphery to the center. Digital imperialism as a concept is a continuation of the theories of cultural imperialism and media imperialism and, in turn, became the basis for the development of the concepts of platform and blockchain imperialism. The article analyzes the conceptual aspects of the study of modern dimensions of imperialism and provides a brief overview of research directions in this area. The purpose of this study is to identify the role of platforms as a factor in political discourse in the context of digital imperialism. The authors formed the sample based on 2 criteria: the type of platform (global, national and liminal) and the type of communicator (institutional - i.e. mass media channels or personal, i.e. influencer channels). The study covered the period from February 2022 to November 2023 and included 60 media across 3 platforms. The analysis was carried out using 4 research methods. The results of the analysis demonstrate that YouTube, Telegram and Vk.com are characterized by different discourse and agenda. YouTube displays an aggressive, militarized discourse with more homogeneous communication, which is typical of echo chambers. Telegram channels and Vk.com pages often overlap in the results of cluster analysis. Telegram is also characterized by an intense militaristic discourse, while Vk.com is oriented towards a broader agenda. The study indirectly demonstrates the imperialist nature of YouTube.

About the authors

Denis S. Martyanov

Institute of Scientific Information for Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences (INION RAN); St Petersburg University

Email: dsmartyanov@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-7755-8086

PhD in Political Sciences, Associate Professor, Research Fellow, Institute of Scientific Information for Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences (INION RAN) - Associate Professor, St Petersburg University

Moscow, Russian Federation; St Petersburg, Russian Federation

Galina V. Lukyanova

Institute of Scientific Information for Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences (INION RAN); St Petersburg University

Author for correspondence.
Email: g.lukiyanova@spbu.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1260-2124

PhD in Political Sciences, Associate Professor, Research fellow, Institute of Scientific Information for Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences (INION RAN), Associate Professor, St Petersburg University

Moscow, Russian Federation; St Petersburg, Russian Federation

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