Soft power, sharp power? Exploring RT ’s dual role in Russia’s diplomatic toolkit

Datos Bibliográficos

ID7501112
AutoresSofya Glazunova (0000-0002-1974-6414, Digital Media Research Centre, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia, autor de correspondencia), Axel Bruns (0000-0002-3943-133X, Digital Media Research Centre, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia), Edward Hurcombe (0000-0002-5838-2019, Digital Media Research Centre, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia), Silvia Montaña-Niño (0000-0002-4238-0801, The ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, Queensland University of Technology’s node, Brisbane, Australia), Sidiki Coulibaly (0000-0002-1119-4686, Digital Media Research Centre, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia), Abdul Karim Obeid (0000-0002-9838-1838, The ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, Queensland University of Technology’s node, Brisbane, Australia)
Año2022
Volumen26
Número16
Páginas3292-3317
Fecha de publicación2022-12-20
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaInformation Communication & Society (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1369-118X • E-ISSN: 1468-4462
EditorialRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/1369118x.2022.2155485
OpenAlexW4312082064
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas14
Referencias citadas26

This article examines the multilingual audiences of Russian outlet RT on Facebook. RT is a state media outlet known for spreading strategic Kremlin narratives and disinformation in support of Russia’s domestic and foreign policy objectives to large and multilingual global audiences. RT serves as a central pillar of the Russian information influence apparatus, and an instrument of both ‘soft’ and ‘sharp power’, the latter describing the use of information manipulation to interfere with foreign public spheres. While many studies have concentrated on the English-language content of RT to understand its impact on Western democracies, in this article, we examine the sharing of RT content across all six RT languages, and we investigate what audiences from the six language communities share RT content on Facebook. We find ideologically diverging patterns across these communities, with particular resonance for RT content targeting the political faultlines in different regions and countries and conclude that RT’s role as a tool for sharp power is now dominant

Art · Content (measure theory · Disinformation · Foreign policy · Ideology · Literature · Media studies · Narrative · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Social media · Sociology · Soft power · Global Security and Public Health · International Relations and Foreign Policy · Media Studies and Communication · Law