Parallel Universes

While I'm in St. Petersburg, talking about what's happening on the digital media playground across the Atlantic, I'm gaining insight into media in Russia, where a lot more is at stake than new brand platforms. Consumers of state-directed TVs and newspapers, often older and rural, live in a completely different information universe than users of the web, which has close to 50% penetration with broadband in most cities. The web is very likely monitored, but it is so far uncensored. Of course, those wide open spaces attract plenty of ugly chatter, racist and otherwise. But Russians are using the web in innovative ways, for real journalism and civic engagement. This Internews report has captures examples: Download RussiaNetworkSociety. For straight Russia Internet stats, try this Ogilvy presentation.