Petrova E.V. Media Practices in Rural Russia: Alienable Space and Reversible Time

Abstract: In her article Petrova brings forth current issues related to interpreting space and time under the influence of modern media. According to the author, TV and the Internet contribute to the diffusion of various cultures in the urban environment of modern Russia. This is the point where the traditional and the new, the urban and the rural, the hierarchical and the network collide. Mass media cause drastic changes in the temporality and spatiality of the modern rural life. Reconstruction of the space-time system and new perception of these most important basic categories play a principal role in transformation processes of the modern Russia's rural cultural life. The article is based on the empirical research conducted in rural territories of Russia (Rostov and Kostroma Regions). Data was collected using the methods of the in-depth interview (based on the guide) and observation (the author filled in the so-called observer's diary and included photos there). The author of the article notes that mass media create public spaces in private spheres. This leads to the alienation of the perception of rural territories and households. In her article Petrova also offers her own term to describe the media time. Taking into account peculiarities of the virtual time that brings in a special meaning into media practices, the author describes this time as 'reversible', i.e. the time that might change its direction. Media practices used by respondents tend to evolve around a single core which can be seen both in the material world and articulated meanings. In her article Petrova attempts to understand this phenomenon from the point of view of the sacral.

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