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

Miazhevich, Galina ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9233-7097 2015. Sites of subversion: online political satire in two post-Soviet states. Media, Culture and Society 37 (3) , pp. 422-439. 10.1177/0163443714567015

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Abstract

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.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Journalism, Media and Culture
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) P Language and Literature > P Philology. Linguistics
Uncontrolled Keywords:	activism, Belarus, civic, democratisation, new media, political satire, subversion, Ukraine
Publisher:	SAGE
ISSN:	0163-4437
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	17 May 2018
Last Modified:	06 Nov 2023 20:27
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/108727

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