Resentment as Resource
Internet Subcultures as a Tool of Political Marketing
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Today, a part of the subculture on the Russian Internet openly and aggressively supports the government camp. In particular, there are the “padonki” (riff-raff), whose incorrect orthography and obscene vocabulary once intentionally provoked readers, but whose neologisms have since become a part of popular culture. The apparent contradiction between the once rebellious behaviour of these groups and their current position in close proximity to the state dissolves upon closer inspection. Resentment belonged to the mental disposition of the padonki from the start. The ruling regime has successfully taken advantage of this disposition and now profits from the renown of the former padonki.
(Osteuropa 6-8/2012, pp. 191–208)