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Sites of subversion: online political satire in two post-Soviet states

journal contribution
posted on 2016-03-16, 10:26 authored by Galina Miazhevich
This article questions the Internet’s ability to foster a civil society and to be a counter hegemonic force using the case of grassroots political satire. It focuses on two post-Soviet states – an authoritarian dictatorship of Belarus and an aspiring democracy of Ukraine – where the subversive potential of the online satire plays out in dramatically different ways. Drawing on the Soviet legacy of ironic participatory popular culture, this article explores the present-day political satire online, highlights how this genre interacts with new media technology and questions its potential to challenge established power structures in the post-Soviet region. Longitudinal analysis of online political satire in two countries (2004–2013) shows the fluidity of both states’ and grassroots activists’ strategies in dealing with new media. Although the Internet can potentially offer an alternative public space, the dynamic of online political satire in both countries reveals a number of challenges which could eventually lead to the marginalisation of ‘alternative’ voices.

History

Citation

Media Culture & Society, 2015, 37 (3), pp. 422-439 (18)

Author affiliation

/Organisation/COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, ARTS AND HUMANITIES/Department of Media and Communication

Version

  • AM (Accepted Manuscript)

Published in

Media Culture & Society

Publisher

SAGE Publications (UK and US)

issn

0163-4437

eissn

1460-3675

Copyright date

2015

Available date

2016-03-16

Publisher version

http://mcs.sagepub.com/content/37/3/422

Language

en

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