Background

According to BBC news, Russia is the largest country on earth, and has had a long history of social, political, and economic challenges which has truly influenced it’s goals, particularly in the press when it comes to framing itself and attempting to “ reassert itself as a world power,” post- soviet union.  Russia is known for its array of natural resources, vast landscapes, cultural heritage, and contributions to the global politics and economy. Additionally it is a land known for the digital and technological advancements. After the soviet union collapsed in 1991, the country has been under the meticulous leadership of Vladmir Putin, putting intense oversight over every aspect of government, however it follows the historical “ top down” censorship established through the “ The tsar Peter the Great established the first Russian newspaper Vedomosti in 1703.” ( Vartanova, media landscapes). This post will analyze russian media, which has a relatively extremely low freedom score under the authoritarian theory of the press. It will also refer to concepts from the course readings and The Illusionists documentary, as it discusses globalization and the concerns of the Digital divide due to restrictions of expression and access. 

Digital Authoritarianism

The authoritarian theory of the press suggests that the media serves an instrumental role in politics, particularly under the control of the state. This can assert and enforce laws, ideology, and even maintain a particular image or social order. This is evident in Russia especially because of elements such as censorship laws (restricting language or thought), state run media, and also legal implications or intimidation to control narratives surrounding the government. According to chapter 15 of our textbook on mass communication theory, “authoritarian systems regard the media as part of the government’s apparatus of control.” (McQuail, Ch. 15) Additionally according to the Russia country profile on BBC news, “ Since the start of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 nearly all independent media outlets in Russia have shut down, been forced to close, or have left the country to operate from exile,” and “ authorities have also extended their control over the online world and are keen to curb the influence of global internet giants.” Therefore tying the theory to the oversight and censorship highlights that Russia may view its press and journalists as threats rather than independent sources of education or accountability like other countries with different kinds of press, like the U.S who has more of a libertarian approach and values the social responsibility of the press/ how it acts as a 4th branch of government (or should).Outlets like Novaya Gazeta are constantly threatened for being shut down, fined, or blocked due to dissenting opinions. 

How it Permeates

The way that the authoritarian theory of the press operates is quite ubiquitous especially as larger news outlets on TV such as Russian Today are either state owned or subsidized, thus limiting polarization and expression through financial incentive or oversight. Like in most other countries, print media has declined in Russia, however few independent ones exist like Novaya Gazeta. However, due to constant threats to these liberal papers, they are often suspended. This is significantly different from the U.S who prides itself on investigative efforts from print media such as the NY times and Washington post. However both countries use political means to manipulate the narratives. With the radio, less people typically attend to it as opposed to in Russia. Even though the radio is more accessible, it is also strategically monitored through things like restrictions of licenses, whereas the FCC can’t regulate as much as limiting freedom of speech is unconstitutional. Cinema on the other hand, especially in more recent years has allowed for more independent artistic expression, but also tailored towards patriotism through State funding that empower citizens to appreciate the country for its valiant efforts and global powers. On the other hand, there are less limitations according to genre. The film the illusionists also depict this well because it perfectly captured the nuances of consumerism and beauty standards, thus because of the control of narratives Russia has, it also deeply curates the amount and types of global content or foreign influence its citizens receive. The U.S on the other hand has more access and influence, also exporting the ideals and products. 



Internet Freedom 

According to the freedom house also analyzing Russia and its territories, the score was 12/100 for freedom in the world, and 20/100 for its net freedom, which I believe is also reflected in internet freedom. Although Russia may not necessarily block controversial sites, it may censor a lot of social media and news outlets through the viable means of “extremism,” which gives them a lot of discretion and control. This also applies to the idea of a digital divide within the country, defined in our reading from the internet society by Charlie Muller, as a multifaceted gap creating disparities relative to internet use encompassing availability, affordability, quality of service, relevance, and additional divides. Therefore this stems from digital authoritarianism because different cities/ areas may have different access depending on various factors through VPNS, and certain apps but there's a ton of relative deprivation. While the U.S may also struggle with internet equality, there are rarely any restrictions to accessibility as opposed to all factors in Russia. When bringing it back to the illusionists and globalization however, we see that the freedom of western values and ideals bombard the people with ideas of consumerism for toxic needs of acceptance or desirability, whereas Russia may be claiming to protect its people from this kind of propaganda, legitimizing its censorship. 

Conclusion

Ultimately, having an authoritarian or liberal model may come at a cost. Barriers or lack of them to media, expression, language, or censorship can provide detrimental effects and relative deprivation, internet inequality, and a digital divide amongst the people and their values. While Russia’s digital authoritarianism may achieve a more unified, cultural sovereignty, State control may allow for a more consistent and empowering political narrative both in and outside the country. On the other hand, the U.S and western powers may have more freedom and equality of access however that may come at the cost of more misinformation, sensationalism, and polarization. 

Either way media freedom is truly illusory, because regardless of the approach or theory of press that a country’s media operates under, values, identities, decisions, and many other aspects of a nation are manipulated through the media, its incentives, and regulation/ accessibility. In russia however its interesting that media sets up the dichotomy of unification, through confinement of information which also confines the people in their awareness. We're all hypnotized.