Сreating otherness through social media usage: Why and how Old Believers spend time on different media platforms
EDN: NTXSQA
Abstract
The article is devoted to the ways and purposes for which Russian Old Believers of different denominations use social media. Based on observations in the digital environment (online ethnography) and interviews with Old Believer religious leaders, administrators of Telegram channels and VK pages of Old Believer communities, as well as active users of social networks, the article examines the differences in the use of the most popular media platforms. The article focuses on how the communities themselves change under the influence of the use of social media, as well as how the technical affordances of different platforms form an optimal environment for interaction between Old Believers and achieving their goals in online communication. The study showed that Old Believers currently use VKontakte and Telegram as the main platforms for digital preaching, exchanging news, broadcasting messages important to the communities, and delineating their cultural space online. Platform preferences are influenced by the ability to restrict access to data, protect it from copying, use different data formats, as well as the convenience of correspondence. When choosing a way to interact with a particular platform, Old Believers act in accordance with their religious beliefs and not following the logic of the media. Access to social media not only unites but also divides communities, depending on views regarding the purposes of using media platforms (while some create a chronicle of their community on a social network, others consider it possible to discuss issues of faith online). Online communication blurs the boundaries of the communities, while dividing believers through the use of tools that are designed to create a limitless space for communication.
Keywords
Old Believers,
social media,
VK,
Telegram,
technical affordances,
online communities,
Internet Old Believers
Supporting agencies: The research is supported by Russian Science Foundation № 23-78-10113, https://rscf.ru/en/project/23-78-10113/.
About the Author
N. S. Dushakova
Russian State University for the Humanities
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Natalia Sergheevna Dushakova, PhD Senior Researcher, Department of Academic Activities
125047, Moscow, Miusskaya Sq., 6
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Review
For citations:
Dushakova N.S. Сreating otherness through social media usage: Why and how Old Believers spend time on different media platforms. Shagi / Steps. 2025;11(4):167-179. EDN: NTXSQA
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