Open AccessInstaMigrants: Global Ties and Mundane Publics of Russian-Speaking Bloggers with Migration Background
Author(s) -
Anna S. Smoliarova,
Svetlana S. Bodrunova
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
social media + society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.941
H-Index - 32
ISSN - 2056-3051
DOI - 10.1177/20563051211033809
Subject(s) - diaspora , emigration , globality , publics , interpersonal ties , context (archaeology) , politics , political science , sociology , media studies , gender studies , globalization , history , social science , law , archaeology
Russian-speaking diaspora has spread across the world during the last century and plays a significant role in cultural and political life of the host countries. But its virtual presence remains heavily understudied; it is only Russian-speaking news websites that have received some scholarly attention. This study aims at estimating the globality of mass self-communication of Russian emigrants on Instagram in the context of virtual diaspora studies as a new form of imagined communities. Instagram communication of emigrants illustrates how the nature of mass self-communication influences the nature of ties between diaspora members. We confirm the global scale of ties that are developed by the Russian-speaking “InstaMigrants” by network analysis. We also show that such seemingly apolitical publics possess a potential for politicization of everyday life and migration experience in unconventional ways.