RUSSIANS OF KAZAKHSTAN AND THEIR NATIONALITY: HOW ARE CIVIC CONSCIOUSNESS AND SOCIAL NETWORKS CONNECTED?

Abstract

The Russian-Ukrainian conflict has clearly demonstrated that the construction of national and ethnic identity in the post-Soviet space is still in an active phase. At the same time, the rapid development of mobile technologies and the huge popularity of social networks raise the question of the relationship between the use of social networks and a sense of nationality. Based on 22 semi-structured interviews with young Russians in Kazakhstan, my research describes the role of social media in the process of ethnonational and citizenship of Russians who: 1) were born and raised in independent Kazakhstan and 2) are currently active users of social networks. Research has shown that the use of social networks can help in maintaining multiple identities and in rethinking prescribed identity. Moreover, young ethnic Russians support the multicultural civic paradigm of Kazakhstan and form an appropriate information environment in personal social networks. Looking at news feeds in VKontakte, Facebook and Instagram the younger generation of Russians in Kazakhstan forms a certain idea of the country of their birth and residence, which allows them to reconcile their multiple national identities and avoid social uncertainty.