Internet Research in Russia
Alexander VOISKOUNSKY
December 21st, 2005
Haifa University, Israel
Alexander Voiskounsky’s Regular Address:
Dept. of Psychology,
Moscow State University
after M.V. Lomonosov
8/5 Mokhovaya st.,
Moscow 103009 Russia
Tel.:
+7 095 203 3409 (dept.)
E-mail:
vae-msu@mail.ru
For long files:
vaemsu@gmail.com
Personal Experience in CMC studies
Study, patterns in LAN communication (1980-1983);
F2F interviews with Soviet participants (N=11) of the
UN teleconference in biochemistry (December 1983);
Content analysis of listings of several international
newsgroups with one Soviet participant (1983-1985);
Use of computer networks for bibliographic search in
PsycInfo & other databases (since mid-1980s);
Listening to a lecture course, S.R.Hiltz & M.Turoff
(authors of: The Network Nation, 1978); early 1980s;
Personal e-mail account, end of 1991, access to
e-mail & news-conferences.
Internet development in Russia
1980s – National Center of Automatic Exchange of
Information (Acad. of Sciences): limited access of
selected representatives of several organizations
(including the MSU), assisting operators.
Late 1980’ – enthusiastic Unix programmers
worked on computer telecommunications.
August 1990 – connection to fuug.fi (Helsinki).
19 Sept. 1990 – registration of the domain .su
7 April 1994 – registration of the domain .ru
PREHISTORY OF THE INTERNET
RESEARCH IN RUSSIA
During the 1980s, years before the regular access to the
global telecommunications became available, two research
projects had been advanced in Russia (then the USSR); the
first started shortly before 1985, i.e. before the Soviet
perestroika, and the 2nd in 1985:
1. Speech Patterns‘ Analysis in Computer-Mediated
Communication (1984-1990)
2. VELHAM (Velikhov-Hamburg) joint Soviet/Russian –
American project on „COGNITION AND
COMMUNICATION“ (1985-1994).
Prehistory (continued)
1. „Speech Patterns Analysis“
Research was based on the analysis of LAN
users‘ behavior patterns and on the analysis done
while episodic access to listings of newsgroups‘
communication patterns.
The main results are the description of the peculiarity
of awareness and orientation practices while
computer mediated communication (direct and
indirect ways of orientation in the variety of
communicative partners), and the specifics of
speech patterns, with features common for written
and spoken speech, for dialogues, monologues, and
polilogues.
Prehistory (continued)
REFERENCES
-
Voiskounsky A. (1995). The development of external means of
communicative orientation. Journal of Russian and East
European Psychology, 33 (5), 74-81.
- Voiskounsky A. (1998). Telelogue Speech. F.Sudweeks et al.
(Eds.). Network and Netplay: Virtual Groups on the Internet.
AAAI Press/The MIT Press, pp. 27-40.
- Voiskounsky A. (1992). Speech in computer mediated
communication. Human-Computer Interaction, Proc., East-West
Internat. Conf. - St. Petersburg, pp. 240-243.
- Voiskounsky A. Internet Communication: Social Language.
Proc., Fourth International Conference on Cultural Attitudes
towards Technology and Communication (CATaC'04), Karlstad,
Sweden, 27 June-1 July 2004. Ed. by F.Sudweeks & Ch. Ess. –
Murdoch University, Australia, Publ., 2004, pp. 201-205.
Prehistory (continued)
2. The Velham Project
The research was based on the cooperation between the Californian and
the Moscow research groups; the former provided the hardware and the
telecommunication facilities, the latter introduced the new way of
communication into the Soviet/Russian academic institutions, libraries,
and high schools. The main research results are based on the observation
of schoolchildren and adults working and entertaining in the computerrich environment (the so-called 5th Dimension).
References
1.Cole, M. (1996). Cultural Psychology: Once and Future Discipline.
Cambridge, MA, and London: The Belknap Press of Harvard U Press.
2. Papers in the Journal of Russian and East European Psychology.
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND OF THE
INTERNET RESEARCH IN RUSSIA
Both prehistoric teams included psychologists. The theoretical
background of the both projects was the cultural-historical theory
of psychic development introduced by Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934).
Vygotsky’s main publications in English:
Vygotsky, L.S. (1962). Thought and language,
Cambridge: Harvard U Press.
Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher
Psychological Processes, Cambridge: Harvard U Press.
Many other books/papers, and chapters in textbooks are available, too
Theoretical background (continued)
Vygotsky emphasized that the higher
mental processes (including cognition)
are of social origin, their development is
based on joint actions (especially within
the zone of proximal development, in the
child-adult dyad), on interpersonal
communication, and presumably on
mediated forms of behavior.
Theoretical background (continued)
Investigation of mediated forms of behavior is traditional for the
Vygotskian approach in (Russian) psychology.
The main mediating sources are, according to Vygotsky, physical objects,
signs and semiotic systems. Having been internalized (the term common
both for J.Piaget and L.Vygotsky), the signs and the methods of handling
the material objects form the higher psychological processes.
Thus, the individual psychic activity is actually a transformed joint
(usually child-adult) activity. As a result, external and internal (mental)
activities have the same origin and the same structure, as it is stressed by
A.N.Leontiev (in a book Problems of the Development of Mind, Moscow:
Progress Publ., 1981) and by many other Vygotsky’s followers.
Theoretical background (continued)
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) originate from
highly developed semiotic (sign) systems that mediate and remediate[1]
almost every human practical or theoretical activity. Thus research in the
field is apt to the paradigm of Vygotskian approach in psychology.
The Internet and the WWW are probably the leading social technologies
within the ICT field. Research of the Internet/WWW usage patterns is
“traditional” within the Vygotskian approach in the Russian psychology.
[1] For remediation, see: Cole, M. (1996). Cultural Psychology: Once and Future
Discipline. Cambridge, MA and London: the Belknap Press of Harvard U Press.
Theoretical background (continued)
Computers and the ICT, being primarily semiotic instruments, are
externalized tools, mediating and remediating human psychic activity.
Unlike the developmental psychology approach, externalization and not
internalization is of primary interest for anyone doing research of the
Internet-mediated forms of cognitive, communicative, or entertaining
activities. Progress in technologies means that psychologists should pay
much more interest in externalization than they traditionally used to.
Thus, psychologists seemed to be the most prepared in Russia team of
specialists to initiate any Internet-related research projects.
CURRENT STATUS
OF THE CMC RESEARCH,
or the INTERNET
RELATED/MEDIATED
RESEARCH IN RUSSIA
The Russian segment of the Internet audience includes
residents of diverse countries (including Israelis) – postSoviets & born abroad. In the 20th century there were at least
four periods of massive migration from Russia.
SpyLog (www.spylog.ru) tracker: approximately 45-50% of
navigations are made from outside Russia. For example,
Global Internet Statistics (by Language) estimates the
number of Americans who regularly access the Russian
segment of the Internet is over 100,000.
The Russian segment includes: Little Russia in San Antonio,
Texas (http://mars.uthsca.edu/Russian), Israeli sites, e.a.
Global Internet Statistics (by
Language)
The *latest* (refer to: Fall, 2004) estimated figures of
the number of people online in each language zone
(native speakers), classified by languages instead of by
countries, since people speaking the same language
form their own online community no matter what
country they happen to live in.
Source: Global Reach (global-reach.biz/globstats/)
Internet
access (M)
world online popul.
Total popul.
(M)
% world
economy
English
287.5
35.8%
508
Non-English
516.7
64.2%
5822
European Lgs (non-English)
276
37.9%
1,218
31.3%
French
28.0
3.8%
77
4.2%
$19.7
German
52.9
7.3%
100
5.8%
$26.8
Russian
18.5
2.5%
167
1.8%
$4.9
Scandinavian lgs (total)
14.6
2.0%
19.7
1.3%
$27.9
Spanish
65.6
9.0%
350
8.9%
$7.1
Ukranian
0.9
47
GDP per
capita (K)
$2.3
European LGS (excl. English)
276.0
37.9%
1,218
31.3%
Arabic
10.5
1.4%
300
1.6%
$4.2
Chinese
102.6
14.1%
874
13.0%
$7.2
Hebrew
3.8
Japanese
69.7
9.6%
125
8.0%
$27.2
Korean
29.9
4.1%
78
2.0
$11.4
TOTAL ASIAN Lgs
240.6
33.0%
TOTAL WORLD
729.2
5.2
6,330
$21.0
Reasons for Joining the Russian
Internet Community
Several ethnic_language_segments, presented
on the Internet, may be called ‘points of
attraction’. These are languages other than
English.
The Russian segment of the Internet is a ‘PoA’.
Method: discussions (F2F or mediated, but not
formal interviews) with non-Russian residents
(N=67), held since 1994.
Reasons for Joining the Russian Internet community: cont’d
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Lack/shortage of attractive web content in ethnic languages
Poor command of official languages of post-Soviet states by
ethnic Russians, residing outside Russia
Poor literacy skills in their mother-tongues of non-Russians in
the post-Soviet states: they got formal education in Russian.
Use of Arabic or Latin alphabets in some post-Soviet states,
instead of a modified Cyrillics. A peculiar sociolinguistic
situation: different generations speaking the same language
might soon have no common written language.
Less populated countries: few forums, sites, blogs in ethnic
languages; more diverse views and more valuable information
may be found abroad. Residents of post-Soviet states often
have better command of Russian than of English.
Reasons for Joining the Russian Internet community: cont’d
6. Nostalgia towards older times: chatting from abroad to people
someone used to know earlier, or to new chatters; share
hobbies
7. Media in some post-Soviet states are even less independent
compared to the Russian media: residents of these countries
get access to less censured news
8. Politically-minded people keep group discussions; they blame
the communist regime, and/or the modern regimes
9. Creative people from outside Russia present their artworks to a
wider audience compared to what is available in their states
10. Russian Internet experts are often advanced. Non-Russians
subscribe to the Russian language newsgroups, surf reviews
published on Russian web-sites, discuss technical issues.
11. Speakers of Russian residing outside the former USSR feel
themselves ‘missionaries’: consult in web-related issues, provide
information (folk or avant-garde music, etc.).
Some references
Voiskounsky, A. E. (1999). Internet: Culture, diversity and
unification, Javnost - The Public. Journal of the European
Institute for Communication and Culture, VI(4), 53-65.
Voiskounsky, A., and Hilton, T. S. (1995). Global networking and
remote communities formation, Information systems and global
competitiveness, Proceedings of the International Association
for Computer Information Systems, Toronto, Canada: IACIS
Press, pp. 282-287.
Voiskounsky, A.E. Internet: Clusters of Attractiveness. (2002).
Electronic Journal of Communication / La Revue Electronique de
Communication. Volume 12 (3-4).
http://www.cios.org/getfile/voiskoun_v12n34
Actual Research Areas
Philosophy
Political Science
Education
Culture & Gender Research
Linguistics, Literary & Art Critics
Sociology
Applied Statistics
Economics
Psychology
Philosophy
A seminar at the Institute of Philosophy, Russian
Academy of Sciences;
some edited volumes & theses of the Ph.D. level;
seminars at different universities;
Major themes: new approaches toward
the unique & the multiple, the natural &
the artificial, the real & the virtual; new identities;
sociality of gadgets; critics and/or development of
the heritage of foreign philosophers (mainly the
French ones), etc.
Culture and Gender Research
Research on web cultures in post-Soviet &
post-communist states
Digital divide & inequality of access to the
Web
Role of non-residents in the Russian web
culture
Web-related shift in culture identities
Gender identities on the web
Gender attitudes toward the Internet use
Gender differences in the web use, etc.
Culture & Gender (continued): some references
Voiskounsky A. (1999). Internet: Culture, Diversity and
Unification. Javnost – The Public. Journal of the European
Institute for Communication and Culture, Vol. V(4), pp. 53-65.
Voiskounsky A.E. Culture specifics on the Internet. Asian-
Pacific Human-Computer Interaction (APCHI'96) Conf. Proc.,
Eds. Lim Kee Yong, Linda Herman, Ying K. Leung & Jackie
Moyes. Singapore: ITI, 1996, pp. 151-161.
Voiskounsky A. Internet Culture in Russia. Internet-based
teaching and learning (IN-TELE) 99. Proc., IN-TELE 99
Conference. Frankfurt a/M: Peter Lang, 2001, pp. 36-44.
Mitina O.V., Voiskounsky A.E. (2005). GENDER DIFFERENCES OF
THE INTERNET-RELATED STEREOTYPES IN RUSSIA. To be
published in: PsychNology Journal (www.psychnology.org) ,
December, 2005.
Education
Projects on distant education
Didactics of remote learning in virtual groups
Remote competitions for K-12 & adults in
different fields, including effectiveness of the
web search
Advanced teaching programs for gifted &
talented kids
Education of high-school teachers
(governmental and/or private programs, e.g.
www.fio.ru, www.iatp.org)
Education, continued
FIO = Federation of
Internet Education
(in Russian)
FIO (www.fio.ru/) is
a non-profit
investment into
Russian education,
owned solely by
JUKOS
Since 1999:
43 educational
centres have been
organized (usually
located at local
Universities).
130,000 teachers
have been extensively
taught (~9% of school
teachers in Russia).
Source:
www.fid.ru/forum/Musher/
Linguistics, Literature & Art Critics
Web fiction & verses as an example of a
postmodern literature
Use of hypertexts & chats in fiction
Digital art as a new cultural phenomenon
Web publications – a new genre?
Investigation of computer slang/argot, SMS &
online genres, etc.
The 1st monograph on functioning of Russian
language on the Internet, by G.Trofimova
(http://planeta.gramota.ru/gnt.html)
Political Science
Analysis of web-sites, web-pages & web-portals of
political parties & political leaders
Web-mediated confrontations between political
groups
Web-discussions of modern political theories;
Web-forums, blogs & newsgroups on internal &
external politics in post-Soviet states, etc.
Researchers contribute to an official ‘e-government
Program’: only several years ago Russia took 74th
position (out of 103) in the rating of the use of web
technologies by national governments (transparency
& interactivity were estimated). Source:
http://cyprg.arizona.edu/hypo_content.htm
Economics
Digital economics
Tendencies toward globalization & anti-
globalization
Web-based economics: B2B & B2C, etc.
High technologies & economics
‘Brain drain’ & offshore IT economics
Internet as an advertising medium
For some information (in English) on IT
market research, click:
www.auriga.ru/it_market_resea.html
Sociology
E-mail &
online
surveys,
self-selected
respondents
Representative fieldwork
research,
quoted
respondents
Sociology
(continued)
- Amateur „census-like“ survey www.stars.ru/people.htm, AugustSeptember, 1998, 33,201 respondents (2nd survey was held in
1999)
- Numerous episodic surveys of certain site’s visitors
- Episodic Professional Web surveys (self-selected respondents).
Example: Gallup Ltd. (May-June, 1999, in S.Peterburg)
www.rocit.ru/opinions/research.htm
- Yearly e-mail monitoring (combined self-selected and sampleconstructing principles), 1992 -1998.
Brief results are available at: www.ripn.net
Reference: Voiskounsky A. (1998). Investigation of Relcom
Network Users. – F.Sudweeks et al. (eds.). Network and
Netplay: Virtual Groups on the Internet. AAAI Press/The MIT
Press, 113-126.
Sociology (continued)
Representative Fieldwork, Internet Audience
www.comcon-2.com - the
pioneer, started in 1996, cities
only, kids including, no free
data available since 2002
www.gallup.ru cities only, no
kids, no free data available
www.monitoring.ru
no kids, no free data available
www.gfk.ru or mr.gfk.ru
(Austrian company) towns only,
no kids, no free data available
Most of the companies carry on
quarterly surveys.
www.fom.ru (The Public
Opinion Foundation)
Since 2001;
cities/towns/villages; no
kids; quarterly research
(fieldwork + panel),
data fully available (the
last refer to Summer,
2005); methodology
compatible with that of
Nielsen/NetRatings
Sociology (continued)
Several organizations & companies (e.g., www.masmi.ru,
www.romir.ru, etc.) carry on episodic surveys.
International sources present always outdated information
on the Internet audience in Russia: e.g., the International
Development Corporation www.idc.com (www.idcrussia.ru
or www.idccentraleurope.com), or the US Government 2000
report www.tradeport.org/ts/countries/russia/isa/isar0012, or the
eLab report, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
www.2000ogsm.vanderbilt.edu/papers/Internet_in_Russia,
or the F. Ebert Foundat. www.riisnp.ru/PUBLIC/russia100.
At the nua.ie the “Russian” entries refer to outdated figures.
Sociology (continued)
The FOM Data (Summer 2005))
Total & regional data
Activity of web users
Places of web access
Interests
Total Demography (by gender, age,
level of education, etc.)
Earnings & web use
Used the Internet at
least once in the last
6 months
THE
INTERNET
USERS
Used the Internet at
least once during
the last
WEEK
Used the Internet at least once
in the last 24 HOURS
%
M.
%
M.
%
M.
Fall 2002
8
8,7
4
4,6
2
2,1
Summer
2003
11
12,1
6
6,1
3
3,0
Summer
2004
15
16,9
9
9,5
5
5,0
5
5,9
Summer
19 20,9 10 11,2
2005
FOM data (continued)
Sociology of web use in Russia (Summer 2005)
No children/teenagers: the data refer to 18+
19 % of population
5.9 mln daily aud.
(23 % males, 16 %
11.2. mln weekly
females)
audience
57 % males,
16.1 mln monthly
43 % females
audience
38 % age 18-24
18.9 mln quarterly
29 % age 25-34
audience
17 % age 35-44
20.9 mln 6-month
13 % age 45-54
audience
3 % age 55 & older
Applied Statistics
www.yandex.ru/chisla statistics from the
major Russian search engine provider Yandex
rumetrica.rambler.ru/data/ statistics from the
2nd major search engine provider (based on
the Rambler’s Top 100, i.e. visitor’s index of
the most visited Russian URLs)
See these two sources to learn:
the number of unique servers & unique URLs,
the current amount of content (~ 5.00 Gb)
Applied statistics (continued)
Yandex Statistics (May 17, 2004)
“Black Square”
(under painter
Malevich).
www.lexa.ru/lexa/black
A click within the
square opens a
webserver
www.yandex.ru/nini
Weekly index of the
most popular
key-words inserted
(~6,000,000 a day)
for the Yandex
webspider.
Applied statistics (continued)
Index of daily activity (from the Rambler Statistics)
~2/3 residents of Russia
~7-9 % Ukrainians
~2.0 % USA/Canadians
Less than 2.0 %
– Israeli
–
–
–
–
Estonians
Germans
Byelarussians
Kazakhstans
The main websites on
cyberpsychology (in Russian)
http://psynet.carfax.ru/
http://cyberpsychology.rep
ort.ru/
www.psychology.ru/interne
t/ecology/
http://www.nedug.ru/lib/
http://psy.piter.com/library
http://www.auditorium.ru/
http://www.relarn.
ru:8080/human/
http://www.fio.ru
http://flogiston.ru/
articles/netpsy
http://redeyes.ru/
http://add.net.ru/
http://psynet.by.ru
http://sufism.ru/
/
Psychology (projects)
Identity transformations (some diploma & PHD theses)
Comparative research of the development of the Internet users‘
communities in the Eastern/Central European transient postcommunist states (Moscow/Ljubljana Univ.)
Internet addiction
Gender issues on the Internet
Attitudes towards hacking, and motivation of hackers
(see the next two slides)
Flow in online gaming (comparative study: samples of Russian,
French & Chinese MUDders)
IT-Giftedness
Psychology of Cyberethics
Psychology Projects (cont’d)
The next slide will be illustrative of the development of
computer hackers’ intrinsic motivation, namely the
flow motivation.
It is illustrated as a balance/counterbalance of the
available skills & of task challenges.
CHALLENGES
Experienced hacker
High challenges
High skills
Challenges match skills
FLOW
RENOVATION
Wannabee
hacker
High challenges
Low skills
no matching
FLOW CRISIS
Inexperienced hacker
Low challenges
Low skills
Challenges match skills
Averagely experienced
hacker
average challenges
average skills
Challenges match skills
FLOW CRISIS
FLOW
RENOVATION
Occasional hacker
Low challenges
High skills
no matching
SKILLS
Psychology (continued)
REFERENCES
Arestova, O., Babanin, L., Voiskounsky, A. (1999).
Psychological
Research
of
Computer-Mediated
Communication in Russia. Behaviour and Information
Technology, 18 (2), 141-147.
Voiskounsky A. (1998). Investigation of Relcom Network
Users. In: F.Sudweeks et al. (eds.). Network and Netplay:
Virtual Groups on the Internet. AAAI Press/The MIT Press,
113-126.
Voiskounsky A.E., Babaeva J.D., Smyslova O.V. Attitudes
towards computer hacking in Russia. – Cybercrime: Law
Enforcement, Security and Surveillance in the Information
Age. – Ed. By D.Thomas & B.Loader. – L. & NY: Routledge,
2000, pp. 56-84.
Psychology (continued)
References (Continued)
Babaeva J.D., Voiskounsky A.E. IT-Giftedness in Children and
Adolescents. Educational Technology & Society, vol. 5(1), 2002,
pp. 154-162. http://ifets.ieee.org/periodical/vol_1_2002/babaeva.html ,
http://ifets.ieee.org/periodical/vol_1_2002/babaeva.pdf
Voiskounsky A.E., Smyslova O.V. Flow-Based Model of Computer
Hackers’ Motivation. CyberPsychology & Behavior, Vol. 6, № 3,
2003, pp. 171-180.
Voiskounsky A.E., Smyslova O.V. Flow in Computer Hackers’
Activity. // 8th International Conference on Motivation (Workshop
on Achievement and Task Motivation). Abstracts. – Moscow,
2002, pp. 128-129.
Voiskounsky A.E., Smyslova O.V. Flow in computer hacking: A
model. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 2713. – Berlin
e.a.: Springer, 2003, pp. 176-186.
Factor models for Russian & French samples
of MUDders (explorative analysis)
Russians
F1 = Flow
F2 = Achievements
F3 = Activity vs.
passivity
F4 = Interaction
F5 = Thoughtfulness
vs. spontaneity
F6 = Cognition
French
F1 = Achievements
F2 = Interaction
and Cognition
F3 = Flow
Psychology (continued)
References
Voiskounsky A.E., Mitina O.V., Avetisova A.A.
Communicative Patterns and Flow
Experience of MUD Players. Int. J. of
Advanced Media and Communication, V
1(1), 2005, pp. 5-25.
Voiskounsky A.E., Mitina O.V., Avetisova A.A.
Playing Online Games: Flow Experience.
PsychNology Journal, 2004, Volume 2,
Number 3, pp. 259 – 281.
www.psychnology.org/PSYCHNOLOGY_JOURNAL_2_3_VOISK
OUNSKY.PDF
Cyberethics Meets Developmental Psychology
Open-ended questions on moral judgments show:
Adolescents/kids often fail to transfer
well-known moral norms to less
known, e.g. virtual environments.
In the Cyberspace they lack ‘ethical
sensitivity’, that is, the ability to
distinguish moral/immoral behavior.
What is needed, world-wide:
research of Web-related moral views
& judgments of children/adolescents;
 education program to be worked
out & taught, to update Web-related
moral values of K-12 students;
 teach globe-wide, *every* language:
Cyberspace is global indeed.
References
Voiskounsky A. Current problems of moral research
and education in the IT environment. Human
Perspectives in the Internet Society: Culture,
Psychology and Gender. K.Morgan, C.A.Brebbia,
J.Sanchez, A.Voiskounsky (eds.). WIT Press:
Southampton, Boston, 2004, pp. 33-41.
Voiskounsky A.E. Virtual Environments: the need of
advanced moral education. Ethics of New Information
Technology. Proceedings of the 6th Internationаl
Conference of Computer Ethics: Philosophical Enquiry
(CEPE2005). Ed. by Ph. Brey, F. Grodzinsky, L.
Introna. Enshede, the Netherlands: CTIT Publ., 2005,
pp. 389-395.
THE END
(for today)
HAPPY CHANUKA
!