Perception of the Memorial Conflict around the Film “The Death of Stalin” among Russian Internet Users

Abstract

The presented study is devoted to the problem of perception of the conflict around the film Death of Stalin among Russian Internet users. The article is based on materials from the cybermetric study conducted through the social media monitoring service IQBuzz. The methodological basis of the work is formed by cybermetric methods combined with elements of traditional content analysis and descriptive analysis. The survey showed that Russian Internet users perceived the film Stalins Death mostly negatively. Support for the release of the movie is detected in only 25% of the messages included in the sample. Support of the movie by users was mostly not politically motivated. Russian authorities didnt find support from the users for the films rental license. In their opinion, the scandal associated with the revocation of the films film license provoked increase of interest. Both opponents and apologists of the film agreed that the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation paid too much attention to this problem, distracting from the solution of the more significant tasks facing the department. The actions of officials were considered as an attempt to restrict freedom of speech. The reason for criticism was also inconsistency in the actions of government officials. The state opposed the release of the anti-Soviet film in terms of content, while Russian films, created in a similar ideological vein, are supported by the authorities.