Untitled - socium.ge

The Russian network society 95in state governance and education, and an effective dialogue between thepowers-that-be and the citizen. As a result, the level of computerization inRussian secondary schools should significantly increase.Paradoxically, the Internet played an integrating role in the Russian context,providing simultaneous news coverage for the Russian elite (or for those withaccess) nationwide. In the decentralized Russian media system, where newspapershave increasingly become local and TV has become commerciallyoriented, the Internet took on the role of a political communicator whichactively constructed the Russian “integrated information space.” For the politicalelite, increased opportunities for manipulating information opened up, atleast for a period, new possibilities to manage public opinion. And, here again,we face the well-known conflict between technology and its social uses highlightedby Williams (1974) and Winston (1998). What is important in today’sRussia is the contradiction between the novelty of Internet communication andthe structures emerging from it and the uses widely exercised by Russianpoliticians. In contrast to the old uses of the Internet as a political medium,Runet, as a leisure activity, demonstrates diverse models of individual innovativebehavior significant in the network structure of postmodern societies.One of the reasons why Russians have taken to the Internet so enthusiasticallymight be explained by its potential to increase the scope of personalliberation and the possibilities for individual choice, which have traditionallybeen very limited in Russian society. The significance of the Internet in thepersonal life of Russians has not been studied in depth as yet, but it is clearthat Runet attracts a great number of users who spend their leisure time online.It has already been shown by many studies that Russians use the Internet fore-mail and also for the world’s websites, although most users prefer Russiancontent in the Russian language. According to the statistics of Rambler, one ofthe largest Russian portals, the “Top Twenty” of the most popular Russianlanguage sites includes 3Dnews.ru, a webzine on computers, Anekdot.ru, ajoke site, Aport.ru, a search engine, Auto.ru, a webzine on cars, andBankreferatov.ru, a site containing educational materials. Among the othermost popular services are online newspapers, free e-mail services, and theRussian tax authority.It is well known that Russians have more sites devoted to humor on theInternet than any other nation, and this is online proof of the fact that, for manyRussians, humor is a traditional means of lightening life burdens. Onlinehumor and satirical sites have emerged as a domain for a new subculture,Russian online folklore. Compared to traditional folklore, online satire existsas an interactive, constantly updated, and limitlessly rich segment of Runet,providing users with a number of facts describing present Russian realities(Verner, 2003).Current Runet subcultures vary from popular anecdotes and jokes sites to