Internet in the Post-Soviet Area: Technological, Economic and Political Aspects (Societies and Political Orders in Transition)

This book offers a comparative perspective on the technological, economic, and political aspects of Internet development in the post-Soviet countries. In doing so, international experts analyze similarities and differences in various countries throughout the chapters. The volume consists of two parts. The chapters of the first part examine the post-Soviet area as a whole. The second part includes specific case studies on the development of the Internet, either in individual countries or in groups of countries. Countries analyzed are Estonia, Ukraine, Russia as well as three Central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Topics covered in the volume include, but are not limited to measurement, dynamics, and structure of each national Internet audience; the history of the Internet in the post-Soviet countries; development of infrastructure; Internet regulation and institutional aspects; online markets such as telecommunications, online advertising, e-commerce, and digital content; social and cultural aspects; as well as the transformation of the national media systems. This book is a must-read for students, researchers, and scholars of political science and economics, as well as policymakers and practitioners interested in a better understanding of Internet development in the post-Soviet area. Contents Introduction Characterizing the Post-Soviet Internet Representation of the Post-Soviet Countries in the Global Online Information Space in 2020–2021: Frequency of Mention, Media Dynamics, Mood Characteristics 1 The Global Online Information Space: Key Notions and Research Details 1.1 Information 1.2 Information Space 1.3 Online Information Space 1.4 Global Online Information Space and the GLOPESTION Space Model 1.5 Methods 2 The Global Online Information Space in 2020: General Features 2.1 Weight of Language Zones and Frequency of Country Representation 2.2 Dynamic Characteristics 2.3 Mood Characteristics 3 Representation of Post-Soviet Countries in 2020 3.1 Frequency of Mentions 4 Media Dynamics 4.1 Russia 4.2 Baltic Countries 4.3 Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, and Donbass 4.4 Abkhazia, Georgia, and South Ossetia 4.5 Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Nagorno-Karabakh 4.6 Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan 4.7 Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan 4.8 Typology of Media Storms Observed in Post-Soviet Countries in 2020 5 Sentiment Context of the Mention of Countries 6 Conclusions References Legal Regulation of the Internet Around Post-Soviet Space 1 Introduction 2 From the USSR to the Post-Soviet States: Approaches to Media Regulation 3 Internet Regulatory Issues 4 The Situation with Freedom of Speech and Democracy on the Internet in the Post-Soviet Space 5 Ensuring Information Security on the Internet in the Post-Soviet Countries 6 Conclusion References Cancel Culture and Novaya Etika in Russian Public Discourse 1 Introduction 2 Cancel Culture as Moral Conflict 3 Canceling and Networked Activism 4 Moral Conservatism vs. Novaya Etika 5 Gender Relations as Generational Conflict 6 Leonid Slutsky and the Order for Merit to the Fatherland 7 Ivan Kolpakov and the Dilemma of a Liberal Newsroom 8 Regina Todorenko and Her Image Repair Handbook 9 Implications and Future Research References Online Coping Strategies During the Covid-19 Pandemic: The Case of Izoizolyacia Flash Mob 1 Introduction 2 Covid-19 Pandemic in the Post-Soviet Area 3 Social Media as a Coping Tool During the Pandemic: Theoretical Framework 4 Internet Flash Mob #Izoizolyacia During the Quarantine 4.1 “Girl with a Pearl Earring”: Criteria of Reproduction’s Quality 4.2 Works by Vasya Lozhkin: Positive Emotions and Humor During the Quarantine 4.3 Works by Afarin Sajedi: Discussions About Art 5 Rethinking Limited Mobility and Leisure Time During the Quarantine Period 6 Conclusion References Post-Soviet Countries: Special Focus Developing an Advanced Digital Society: An Estonian Case Study 1 Introduction 2 Development Benchmarks and Key Events on the Path to e-Estonia 2.1 Personal Identification Code and Population Register 2.2 EEBone and X-Road 2.3 Tiger’s Leap 2.4 ID Cards, Bank IDs, and e-Identity 2.5 E-voting 2.6 Events That Impacted e-Estonia 2.7 ID-Card Vulnerability 2.8 COVID-19 Digital Stress Test 3 Political Aspects of Internet Development 4 Economic Aspects of Internet Development 5 Social and Cultural Aspects, Media 6 Conclusion References Uanet Through Socio-Political Perspectives 1 Introduction 2 Information Society in Ukraine Through Indexes Dimension 3 Uanet Development 4 Social Media Use in Ukraine 5 Socio-Political Communication in Uanet 6 Conclusion References Media Generations of the Russians in the Digital Media Environment: Opportunities for Intergenerational Communication 1 Introduction 2 Forming Perceptions of the Media Generation 3 Research Design 3.1 Theoretical Analysis of Generational Theories and Concepts 3.2 Developing the Concept of Media Generations 3.3 Approbation of the Concept of Media Generations in the Context of Digitalization 3.4 Basis for Developing a Model of Intergenerational Communication 4 Results and Discussion 5 Conclusion References Elite Students in Kazakhstan: Complexities of the Internet and the International Arena 1 Contested Identity and the World Arena 2 Focus Groups 3 Why Focus Groups? 4 Historical Context and Media Availability 5 Participant Strategies 6 Attitudes Toward Foreign Countries, Near and Far 7 Hard Power and Destructive Influence: The United States 8 Soft Power 9 The United States vs. Russia in the World 10 China 11 The European Way: The UK and Germany 12 Ukraine 13 Russia 14 Divisions of Identity—Comparisons, East or West, and Islam 15 Conclusion References Measuring Media Literacy Level: A Case of Central Asia 1 Theoretical Background 2 Methodology 2.1 The Main Communicative Practices 2.2 General Characteristics of Media Literacy Level 2.3 Assessment of Media Trust and Criticality of Information Perception 3 Media Literacy Indices: A General Review 3.1 Information Literacy Self-Assessment Indices (ILSA) of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Russia 3.2 Integral Media Literacy Indices (IMLI) of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan 4 Conclusion References