LxC Tasks 5+6: The Digital Divide and Facebook in Russia

Cyber technology has been growing worldwide and Russia is not an exception. However, this spread of cyber technology has also created evident digital divides. Norris explains that the digital divide creates “disparities in access found among low-income American households.”[1] Such disparities are not unique to America.

In fact, Russian citizens have been protesting against the high prices of internet accessibility. As shown by the Cnews article, basic, relatively slow internet access of 512 Kbit/sec costs ~$20 USD.[2] Such a price for internet can be considered normal in the United States where the GDP per capita is $47,400.[3] However, according the CIA factbook, in Russia, the GDP per capita is less than a third with $15,900. Thus, the same “reasonable” price creates a great economical barrier for Russians that would like to use the internet. This same barrier is the cause for a large digital divide that results in only one in three Russian families having access to the internet.[4]

Cyber technology in Russia has been affecting the privileged in a very similar way as it has in the Western developed countries. A knockoff of Facebook is widely popular: vkontakte.ru has almost a third of their users visiting daily.[5] With all the ongoing persecutions of journalists that go against the Kremlin, an outlet for free discussions prevails on the internet and in particular on the social networking site. There is a group with over 7000 members that would like the Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ousted.[6] This group is able to create discussions and allow the free discussion of politics. A major event that the group promotes is a petition to oust Putin. Even though it is extremely unlikely that such a petition would succeed, it signifies the evolution of citizen journalism within Russia and empowers the people with a greater freedom of speech.

[1]Norris, Pippa. Digital Divide: Civic Engagement, Information Poverty, and the Internet Worldwide. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2001. Print.
[2]Легезо, Денис. Дорогой интернет: россияне бастуют и пишут жалобу Медведеву. Cnews.ru. Published Sept. 14, 2009. http://www.cnews.ru/news/top/index.shtml?2009/09/14/361763 Accessed April 10, 2011. Internet.
This is the Russian news site that published an article that talked about the cost of internet use in Russia and how widespread it is.
[3]CIA Factbook: GDP Per Capita. CIA. Published July 1,2010. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2004rank.html Accessed April 10, 2011.
[4]Asmolov, Gregory. Russia: Authorities to Eliminate “Digital Divide” in 2010. GlobalVoices. Published March 7, 2010. http://globalvoicesonline.org/2010/03/07/russia-divide/ Accessed April 10, 2011. Internet.
[5]Elena. Most Popular Social Networking Sites in Russia. RussianizeThis. Published June 14,2010.
http://russianizethis.com/2010/06/most-popular-social-networking-sites-in-russia/ Accessed April 10, 2011. Internet.
[6]Болдырев, Александр. Путин должен уйти! Сбор подписей. Vkontakte.ru. Published April 10, 2011. http://vkontakte.ru/club16166867 Accessed April 10, 2011. Internet.
This is the Russian knockoff of Facebook. The specific link directs the reader to the anti-Putin group which allows free discussion threads, news, and pictures involving the Prime Minister.

LxC Task3/4: Japanese Textbook Controversy

History is up to who the narrator is as Gerald Prince mentions in his article The Disnarrated that decoding of narratives are always based on its given context. [1] Japan has always been criticized in East Asia for Japanese war crimes during Pacific war and territorial disputes, which Japanese government, institutions, and media had made unnarratable. Controversy over how Japan “narrate” those historical events is always a big issue when Japan deals with countries such as China, South Korea, Taiwan, as well as Russia.

Some of those arguments are based on the description of those war crimes and territorial dispute in Japanese history textbook used in middle school as well as high school. At this moment, both Chinese and South Korean government made statement to ask Japanese government to change the description on which country islands such as Liancourt Rocks and Senkaku islands belong to. [2]

This controversy gets a lot of attention every year when history textbooks are edited and revised. However, from the perspective of Chinese and South Korean government in this case, it might be accurate to say that Japan has not covered the issue in a way both countries narrate in their contexts. There surely is problem lying on the policy of Japanese government. Nevertheless, it is important to note that this kind of phenomenon seems very universal, as narratives always include decoding process regardless of nation, society and culture.

[1]Prince, Gerald. “The Disnarrated”. Style,Vol. 22(Spring 1998), p.2.Print.

[2] “教科書検定：中学校教科書、竹島問題を全社が記述「固有の領土」を明記 (Textbook Censorship: all middle school history textbooks mentions clearly that Liancourt Rocks as our territory belonging to Japan)”. Mainichi News. 31 March 2011. <http://mainichi.jp/select/world/news/20110331ddm012100143000c.html>. 5 April 2011.Web.

LxC Task 1: Futbol en Espana

Soccer is one of the most famous sports in the world, and nowhere is it more pronounced than in Spain. Having won the 2010 World Cup, Spain is one of the world's leaders in the soccer arena. Having been to Spain myself, I recall how important soccer was to their culture and their community. Soccer, being a very simple sport to play, and even cheaper to maintain, is appropriate for people who do not have much. Children learn how to play soccer from a very young age and spend most of their free time outside playing soccer. Families gather around the television to watch soccer games as Americans gather to watch baseball. Globally, it is generally known that Spain is the Mecca of soccer champions.

Spain plays soccer on a local and global level. They compete with individual teams that are assigned based on location in the country, and as a country team against other countries in international competitions. One of their lead players is quoted as saying "Esta es la competición más importante del mundo y no hay que buscar otras motivaciones exteriores" meaning this is the most important competition in the world, and there is no reason to look for other motivations.

Site: http://espanol.sports.yahoo.com/noticias/d-sport-mourinho-recordo-importancia-partido-tottenham-04042011-75.html

LxC Task 2 : Charity for Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami

One of the most appealing narratives at this moment in global as well as local perspective would be the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan. Among those who were not severely affected by the disaster, charity and donation is one of the appealing news since many people seek to find the way that they can help out victims of the disaster.  

“節電(Setsuden, meaning “power saving” ) is one of the keyword that get attention of locals in Japan in terms of charity, though it is not the charity that people used to think of. [1]Since atomic power plants in Fukushima, the major source of electricity in Tokyo area, are not functioning anymore, people are trying to save electricity as much as possible. Local news tells people tips on saving electricity. A website called 節電広告(power saving advertisements) where amateur graphic designers post “posters” promoting power saving gets attention of local media as well. [2]

Traditional type charity also gets a lot of attention of both global and local media. At this moment, Sankei news says that the biggest issue on this type of charity is the fact that Japan Red Cross could not provide the donations to local government yet. [3]Since tsunami hit broad area in the north part of Japan, it is difficult to identify how bad each town is damaged. Also, at some towns local government office was washed out and thus some local governments do not function at all.

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[1]節電ポスターを貼って、みんなで節電！(Put Setsuden Poster and Save Power!). Net Venture News. 30 March 2011. <http://www.netventure-news.com/news_IpDXRClVw.html>. 1 April 2011. Web.

[2] The actual website address : http://pstr.jp/site/index

[3] 善意が届かない　義援金１０００億円超: 配分のめど立たず、いつ被災者の元へ？ (When is All Donation Sent to Victims?). Msn Sankei News. 5 April 2011. <http://sankei.jp.msn.com/affairs/news/110405/dst11040521000058-n3.htm>. 5 April 2011. Web.

LxC Task1: 2002 FIFA World Cup Japan/Korea

It was 2002 that FIFA World Cup was first held in Asia. Games took place in 20 cities in both Japan and South Korea. [1] It called attention of the global soccer fans since the way games took place was very different from the past games. FIFA world cup had been held only in Europe and America before that. Also, regarding the history of soccer, starting as elite’s sport in England, the 2002 World Cup proved that some sport can be global, as Barbara. J. Keys defines sport as something that “transcends class, race, and religion” in her article Globalizing Sport. [2]

It also had great impact from local perspectives. Many local towns, especially in country areas, were selected as the place for camp for various national teams. According to Tsuji Toshio, most of those towns still have connections with the country of the national team even after 5 years after the World Cup. [3] Thus in this case, sport works not only as a mean to show off the power but also as the opportunities to enhance communication between local towns and foreign countries. Moreover, both cooperation as well as dispute between Japan and Korea got attention of locals. Regarding the historical issues between Korea and Japan, it is natural that people in both countries were interested in what was happening between them during the World Cup, although most of them are in the category of rumors and were not really examined by scholars.

[1] Toshio, Tsuji. “2002 FIFA日韓ワールドカップに関する調査研究 (The Survey of 2002 FIFA World Cup Japan/Korea)”. Cosmica. Vol. 37 (2007), 21-41. Kyoto University of Foreign Studies. Print. 

[2]Keys, J. Barbara. “Globalizing Sport: National Rivalry and International Community in the 1930s”. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 2006. Print.

[3] Toshio, Tsuji. “2002 FIFA日韓ワールドカップに関する調査研究 (The Survey of 2002 FIFA World Cup Japan/Korea)”. Cosmica. Vol. 37 (2007), 21-41. Kyoto University of Foreign Studies. Print.

LxC Tasks 3/4: Why is American football disappealing?

One of the most disappealing narratives in Russian media has to be American football. American football is rarely, if ever, shown on Russian television channels. There is a strong disconnect that exists between the American culture and Russian culture concerning American football. Events such as the super bowl do not make the news in Russia and therefore are widely considered disappealing.

In The Structure of News, Galtung states that “the more distant a nation is, the more will an event have to satisfy the frequency criterion.”[1] American football is a relatively constant event in America. Therefore, based on Galtung’s conclusion, it will not create a news presence across the ocean. Also in the article is the criteria for a news article to have demand. The demand is evidently not present for American football events and therefore it does not make headlines.

In Narrative Interest as Cultural Negotiation, Herman and Vervaeck state that in order “for narrative interest to arise, the circulation on offer must to some extent coincide with the reader’s disposition as it derives from his or her cultural embeddedness.”[2] American and Russian cultures are completely dissimilar when it comes to American football. In fact, when I tried to search for “super bowl” on the main Russian news channel, I did not receive any results.[3]

As with most European countries, when “football” is mentioned, soccer is thought of. The disappeal of American football in Russia can explained by the criteria in the preceding paragraphs. Based on Prince’s definition in The Disnarrated, American football can be considered “unnarratable,” or “falling below the so-called threshold of narratability (it is not sufficiently unusual or problematic).”[4]

[1]Galtung, Johan/Ruge, Mari Holmboe. "The Structure of Foreign News." The Presentation of the Congo, Cuba and Cyprus Crises in Four Norwegian Newspapers.Volume 2 (1965), Page 66.
[2]Herman, L., Vervaeck, B. "Narrative Interest as Cultural Negotiation." NARRATIVE. Volume 17 (2009), Page 112.
[3]Результаты поиска: "супербоул." Первыи Канал. http://www.1tv.ru/allsearch/?s=%F1%F3%EF%E5%F0%E1%EE%F3%EB Accessed April 4, 2011. Internet

This is the result page of my search for “superbowl” on the Russian news website.

[4]Prince, Gerald. "The Disnarrated." STYLE. Volume 21 (1988), Pages 1-3.

LxC Task2: Is it really news if it only talks about the President?

In The Structure of Foreign News, Galtung states that “the more the event concerns elite people, the more probable it will become a news item.”[1] On the main news channel in Russia, Первыи Канал, this is most certainly true. More specifically, it is true of the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and the President Medvedev. It is from personal experience growing up and my parents watching the news channel that I can attest that not a single day goes by without the channel mentioning the two heads of government. As “nikolay” points out on an online forum, “Знаете, я давно уже телевизор отказался смотреть. А то постоянно приходилось переключать с Путина на Медведева и наоборот!”[2] Translated, this means: “You know, I have stopped watching television a long time ago. I always had to switch channels from Putin to Medvedev and back again.” As shown, bloggers have been posting on forums to express their anger at the domination of the news by two people.


Galtung points out that “the actions of the elite are, at least usually and in short-term perspective, more consequential than the activities of others.”[3] Yes, the actions of the two head government officials matter. Therefore, they must make the news more often than “ordinary people.” However, how much is too much?

Furthermore, the continuity effect triggers the consistent flow of news about the two leaders. “Once an event has ‘made it’ the news channel will be more readily open for the follow-up events, at a lower threshold value.”[4] The question that begs to be asked for this scenario is: “how low can the threshold value get?” Also, when, if ever, does it become too much? These questions require further research that is beyond the scope of this blog post.


Last but not least, the government has the controlling share of the stocks in the news channel. This has to be considered when evaluating and researching the answers to the questions in the preceding paragraphs.

[1]Galtung, Johan/Ruge, Mari Holmboe. "The Structure of Foreign News." The Presentation of the Congo, Cuba and Cyprus Crises in Four Norwegian Newspapers.Volume 2 (1965), Page 69.
[2]Nikolay. ОРТ Первый канал. On-tv.ru. December 13, 2010. http://on-tv.ru/ort_pervyi_kanal/ Accessed April 4, 2011. Internet.

This is a forum that allows users to communicate with each other to discuss streaming of channels over the internet.

[3]Galtung, Johan/Ruge, Mari Holmboe. "The Structure of Foreign News." The Presentation of the Congo, Cuba and Cyprus Crises in Four Norwegian Newspapers.Volume 2 (1965), Page 83.
[4]Galtung, Johan/Ruge, Mari Holmboe. "The Structure of Foreign News." The Presentation of the Congo, Cuba and Cyprus Crises in Four Norwegian Newspapers.Volume 2 (1965), Page 82.

LxC Task1: Creation of a sports complex in Moscow

Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov is the co-owner of the New Jersey Nets, a team that plays in the National Basketball Association. His new venture is to help finance and build a sports center in Moscow’s International Business Center.[1] The whole MIBC is an ongoing project that seeks to create an area where people would be able to work, relax, and tour in western Moscow.


Prokhorov’s planned addition of a sports center helps create an entertainment outlet that would place MIBC on a slightly different approach than originally expected. While considered to be an area primarily for business, the complex would more focus on leisure time. On the local level, it would create an outlet for residents to get physically fit and also provide entertainment in the form of a movie theater for everyone.


As for a global impact, the center would increase tourism to the area. Not only would the people living in or near MIBC be able to experience it, the aesthetics of the area would welcome international crowds. It is unknown whether the Nets would be able to play a game at the complex but it is certainly not a farfetched idea. Looking at Prokhorov’s past and his international vision for the future of the Nets, he would certainly be able to put two and two together.


From the categories that Galtung presents in The Structure of Foreign News, this news article contains meaningfulness and cultural proximity.[2] Based on my previous blog post on the appeal of narratives, these two categories are also main parts that create an appealing narrative. Due to me being the reader, the article has cultural proximity due to connecting both my Russian heritage and my American upbringing. Furthermore, the meaningfulness of the article stems from the cultural proximity. Having been in Moscow allows me to appreciate what Prokhorov has planned for the region.

[1]Прохоров превратит «Москва-Сити» в спортивно-развлекательный центp. Equipnet.ru. Published April 4, 2011. http://www.equipnet.ru/news/power-industry/power-industry_19494.html Accessed April 4, 2011. Internet.

This is a news article that describes Prokhorov's plans for building the sports complex. It also incorporates the economic concerns of the project.

[2]Galtung, Johan/Ruge, Mari Holmboe. "The Structure of Foreign News." The Presentation of the Congo, Cuba and Cyprus Crises in Four Norwegian Newspapers. Volume 2 (1965), Pages 70.