CAMRI | Parody Microbloggers as Chroniclers and Commentators on Russian Political Reality

Parody Microbloggers as Chroniclers and Commentators on Russian Political Reality

A Research Paper by Anastasia Denisova, published by Demokratizatsiya: The Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization

In the political environment of contemporary Russia, government-controlled media dominate the discourse. However, the Internet still provides a platform for – and visibility to – alternative voices and ideas. Parody microblogging is a popular recent phenomenon of Russian-language social media. Users with satire accounts utilize the names of power holders, publish links to the news, and provide opinion and contextualization, as well as offering satirical commentary on corruption, the management of the country and media propaganda. This article studies the function of parody framing in critical microblogging in the Russian-language Twitter. It discusses accounts spoofing the elites as tactical media that disrupt the hegemonic discourse and interpret political reality for the Russian digital audience.

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To cite this article:
Denisova, A. “Parody Microbloggers as Chroniclers and Commentators on Russian Political Reality.” Demokratizatsiya: The Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization, vol. 25 no. 1, 2017, pp. 23-41. Project MUSE, muse.jhu.edu/article/648419.

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About Anastasia Denisova

Anastasia Denisova is a Lecturer in Social Media at CAMRI, University of Westminster. Before starting her academic career, she worked as a journalist in Russia for over a decade in the capacity of television news editor and reporter for NTV Broadcasting company, editor at Aeroflot Inflight magazine, and a freelance reporter and columnist for the major magazines, including GEO, Conde Nast Traveler, Vogue, Marie Claire and many others. Her work has received the industry and community recognition, including the French government’s award for the best publication on France in Russian in 2014 (the feature for GEO Russia).