Full Description
In LiveJournal and Russian Disinformation, J.J. Sylvia IV analyzes the role of blogging platform LiveJournal in Russia's information warfare strategy, examining its evolution and co-optation as a case study.
Through rigorous analysis, Sylvia demonstrates how epistemic sabotage became central to the Kremlin's efforts to manipulate truth, and more broadly, how the ever-increasing reach of the internet and social media platforms can be weaponized by authoritarian regimes to disrupt knowledge systems and destabilize democracies.
While the growing ubiquity of the internet and its networks have ushered in countless opportunities and benefits on individual, organizational, and international levels, Sylvia emphasizes the double-edged sword of the new risks that must be considered in turn. As fascism is on the rise worldwide and anti-democratic governments wield social media as a tool to stoke division and spread disinformation among citizens worldwide—democratic countries being no exception—he contends that understanding this tactical shift is critically relevant not only to the Russian context, but also to the challenges of navigating truth and democracy on a global scale in the 21st century.
LiveJournal and Russian Disinformation coherently identifies, documents, and interprets the logics and implications of this evolution in warfare, leaving readers with a more nuanced understanding of the platform as an early battle in a new digital arena—one which is not likely to be the last.
Contents
Acknowledgements
Brief Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations
Key People
Timeline
Introduction
1. Uncovering Russia's Information Warfare Strategy
2. The Emergence of LiveJournal (1999)
3. The Rise of Navalny as a Digital Dissident (2006)
4. LiveJournal and Russia at War (2008)
5. Bloggers on the Frontlines: Kremlin Strategies in Response to Networked Dissent (2008-2013)
6. The End of the Open Internet in Russia (2013-Present)
7. Russian Disinformation Rhetoric: The Blend of Political and Non-Political Content in Information Warfare
8. Conclusion: Grappling with the Challenges Posed by Epistemic Sabotage
Bibliography
Index
