Критика в мережі: нові форми вираження опозиційних настроїв у православному сегменті інтернету

Анотація

Under current conditions of restricted free speech and the modern culture of digitalization, the only free platform that remains ready to accept any form of self-expression is the Internet. This is especially true of Russia, whose authoritarian system presently eschews special methods of coercion, yet nonetheless generates a constant expectation of sanctions and reprisals in citizens. This ever-present expectation causes people to choose their words cautiously and thus generates a new style of “kitchen conversations”: expressing one’s own opinion on social networks, sometimes anonymously. This is a society-wide condition, and includes the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate). The article identifies three forms of non-systemic online activity: Orthodox dissident publicists, sites uniting former priests and active parishioners, and “oppositional” channels in Telegram, which have become a noticeable phenomenon both in church life and in media space. They are discussed on the sidelines of the ROC, and while individual representatives of the hierarchy may openly condemn them, the official media of the ROC cannot oppose these three forms with anything similar in terms of sheer power of media influence. The Moscow Patriarchate is not ready for an open dialogue, as it considers non-systemic opinions to be a priori delusional. However, such ignorance generates intra-systemic tension, which the Moscow Patriarchate attempts to ignore until it finally manifests in the public sphere.