Speaker
Description
The paper explores how Russian geopolitical narratives about the national self and the enemy are constructed and amplified on VKontakte (VK) before and after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. VK is the largest social media platform in the Russian Federation, and it is being gradually integrated into a government-led multipurpose application, Max (like WeChat in China). Relying on data scraped from two VK channels, Tsargrad Television and Tsargrad Society (June 2021 – June 2023), the study offers a glimpse into the narratives of more extreme nationalist media outlets, their dissemination, and audience engagement (reactions and comments). Theoretically, the paper is anchored in ontological security studies, narratives, and constructivist approaches to international relations (Mitzen, 2006; Steele, 2008; Hagström, 2019, 2022; Wendt, 1992). It assumes that social media platforms and spaces can act as sites for ontological (in)security construction through narrative promotion, routines, and self-affirming practices. Mixed-methods approach is adopted as user engagement patterns are explored through descriptive statistics identifying most amplified narratives and periods with high activity. Additionally, narrative analysis is applied when analyzing posts with highest number of reactions and their affiliated comments. Unusual spikes of user reactions are observed after February 2022 as particular information campaigns were visible. Amplified narratives often framed Ukraine and the Ukrainian Armed Forces in nationalist terms, while presenting civilians in Eastern Ukraine primarily through a victimhood lens, contributing to a simplified hero–villain narrative during the first eleven months after the start of the invasion. After the initial stage, more diverse narratives re-appeared related to promotion of conservative ideologies and Russia’s geopolitical relations to position the national self. The paper is concerned with the role of digital media and information in non-military warfare and mobilization (Galeotti, 2023; Jonsson & Käihkö, 2025) whilst reflecting on the role of non-human agents in narrative amplification.
| If you are submitting an Open Panel proposal, have you included all four abstracts in attachment? | No, I am submitting a Closed Panel abstract |
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| Would you like to be considered for travel funding through the NetSec COST Action? | No |
| Are you a member of the NetSec Management Committee? | No |
| What discipline or branch of humanities or social sciences do you identify yourself with? | Social Sciences - Media and Communications |
| Which of the following best describes your stage of the career? | Post-Doc (or within 3-year of PhD obtention) |
| In which country is your home institution? | Sweden |
| What is your gender? | Female |