Russian Germans in the Information Space: Traditional and New Media

Abstract

The article examines the current state of the printed and electronic editions of Russian Germans. The purpose of the study is to identify the characteristic features of the modern development of print and online publications of Russian Germans in Russia and see whether these elements constitute an integral system of mass media. I have analyzed data from government agencies on the activities of the media and identified 45 registered print and online publications in German, for Russian Germans, about Germany or for a reader from Germany. I argue that there are still regional newspapers and magazines that have survived from the Soviet era; that the volume of Internet resources of Russian Germans has decreased; that there has occurred a kind of monopolization of the information space by the International Union of German Culture, and today the portal rusdeutsch.ru satisfies the basic interests of Russian Germans as far as information is concerned; that social networks have gained an advantage over websites; and that the nearly complete absence of dedicated TV and radio for Russian Germans remains still a standing issue.