Communications. Media. Design

The Phenomenon of Synchronization in the Context of Contemporary Art Research

Tatiana Evgenyevna Fadeeva, Anna Vladimirovna Mcvey — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0300

The article continues a series of materials within the framework of studying the concept of brain media and the media presence of the brain in modern art. Using the phenomenon of social cognition synchronization as an example, the authors track the progressive integration of scientific concepts and neuroscience concepts into the field of art, and their re-interpretation through artistic methods. The authors conduct a comparative analysis of this phenomenon in a cultural-historical context, develop a classification of strategies for conceptualizing it, identify key stages, from intuitive understanding to purposeful use of it as a tool to engage the viewer in artistic research, or as a key basis for forming an actual artistic message. Thanks to this analysis, some of the approaches, tools and implications used in brain art by artists using neurotechnologies as new visual aids were identified and analysed. The article provides the author's interpretation of this trend and attempts to identify its distinguishing features and place in contemporary art within the context of academic approaches. The classification offered by the authors does not cover all possible artistic strategies but clearly reflects a steady trend towards broadening the "technological basis" of art through integrating modern technologies and scientific discoveries as new means of expressing and expanding the range of meanings and interpretations that artists offer viewers, including developing a more conscious and critical attitude towards phenomena under review, as well as with the aim of collaboration. To address research objectives, the broadest possible context is set for the phenomenon being studied, ranging from neurobiological, socio-cultural and meta-levels (nature — man — human community — universe — metaverse), from general statements (introduction to problems and contextualisation of research within a broad socio-cultural framework), the authors move on to concretise their conclusions through individual works of art considering their media specificity.

Territory Branding as a Tool to Attract Tourists to Small Towns in the Moscow Oblast

Olga Valrntinovna Afanasyeva, Artyom Sergeevich Rybkin — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0300

The article presents the results of the authors' research on the tourism destination positioning of small towns in the Moscow region on the Internet. Domestic practices of tourism destination positioning are considered in the conceptual context of the global expertise discourse on the problems of territory branding. The goal of the study is to evaluate the use of strategies and technologies of territory branding in the tourism destination positioning of small towns in the Moscow region considering the accumulated international experience. Based on the results of the study, the rating of tourism destination positioning of small towns in the Moscow region was compiled, conclusions were drawn and recommendations were given.

Computer Games as Virtual Museums: On the Problems of Digital Communication

Vladislav Vladimirovich Kirichenko — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0300

This paper is devoted to the question of how computer games can work with virtual space for museological purposes. Our study aims to establish the features and viability of computer games as a way of virtual museification as well as to reveal certain difficulties of digital communication.

Development of Digital Marketing Toolkit for Media Promotion and Determination of Synergetic Effects of the Instruments’ Complex Application

Vladislav Chaltsev — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0300

This research focuses on the digital promotion of media projects on the Russian market. The object of the study is the tools of Internet-promotion, and the subject is the principles of their functioning in a convergent environment of the media market. The main goal of the study is development and verification of the classification of digital promotion tools (‘digital toolkit’) and formation of hypotheses on synergetic effects of their combinations. The authors consider a substantial aray of articles, monographs and other previous studies for the development of a generalized classification of groups of promotion tools. Further on, with the help of in-depth expert semi-structured interviews with representatives of the Russian-language media market, the classification is tested, after which a number of groups are added to it, and a scheme of their interrelations is formed with highlighting of potential synergetic effects. The result of the study is the classification of tools for digital media promotion that includes twelve groups, as well as a scheme of their applicability in current marketing practice of media projects studied and a scheme of groups’ co-influence with an expanded description of the nature of this relation. After the analysis, four groups of hypotheses were formulated, with one main hypothesis of the study on the primacy of content in the media marketing strategy, and the other three groups focusing on the issues of prevalence, subjectively perceived effectiveness and potential synergetic effects of the integrated use of classification tools. This paper also presents the methodology for testing hypotheses in further research. The academic contribution of this research is that previously a systematic approach to the formation of such a classification was not applied, and the specifics of the media market were not taken into account when considering specialized markets. For the managerial application there is a developed set of tools that can be used as a roadmap for planning marketing activities and allocating budget, as well as the identified synergetic effects of tools in complex application.

From Gaming Platforms to the Big Screen: The Transmediation of the Tomb Raider Franchise (1996-2013)

Darya Sergeevna Aleynikova, Ekaterina Lapina-Kratasiuk — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0300

Given the growing interest in video games and the expansion of the video game industry, this study aims to identify strategies, tools and methodological approaches that facilitate the successful adaptation of video games into different media platforms. The analytical model of Gambarato/Alzamora/Tarcia serves as the methodological framework of the study. The findings provide new insights into the field of transmedia and video game adaptation, which may be useful for researchers and practitioners in the field of multimedia content creation and franchises.

The Evolution of the Term «Indie Game»: From Class to Genre

Daniil Andreevich Lapin, Anastasia Alekseevna Margasova — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0300

This work is devoted to the analysis of stages of formation and transformation of term «indie game». The aim of the work is an attempt to systematize the term «indie game» in the context of historical changes in its perception in the industrial field. Based on the analysis of information from open sources, periodization of the development of the indie segment and its characteristics at different stages is presented. Results of the study showed that at different stages of the development of gaming industry, the term «indie game» had different meanings. At the time of the industry's inception, all games were independent, as they were created by small groups of people as an experiment. The concept of «indie» arose around the mid-1990s during the console wars between Sony and Microsoft, as these and similar giant companies began to put production of video games on mass production in pursuit of increased sales, while attaching less importance to meanings. At the same time, concepts such as «AAA-level projects» and «indie projects» began to appear in the media field, which made «indie» synonymous with independent development and opposed it to the mainstream. The noughties were the heyday of indie games, when such landmark projects as Braid (2008) and Gish (2005) came out, which defined the main external characteristics of indie games. After 2010, major studios started using this term, calling their projects «indie» because of their visual style. This is how the concept of «indie-like» games arose, which had the characteristic features of the indie segment, but were not inherently independent. Later, the concept of «indie» became even more multifaceted, such categories as true indie, «indie-AAA», «indie bubble», etc. appeared. Thus, indie games today are not just synonymous with independent development. They include many different directions related to the historical development of this segment.

High-Profile Strategies for Popularity of Cover Singers: The Phenomenon of Lucia Chebotina

Tala Gutsarieva, Evgeniya Evpak — Sat, 21 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0300

The article elicits whether the media content with cover-versions of popular songs, published by an artist in social media and new media, might have a positive effect on perception of the media-image of the artist among the artist’s target audience and supports the high-profile of the artist. A case-study of music legacy of the Russian popular singer and famous cover artist Lucia Chebotina is provided. The study concludes that the practice of releasing the cover versions of popular songs has a potential to increase the high-profile of the artist and help the artist to attract the new followers, the meanwhile it may arise the intensive discourse between the cover artist and the followers among the famous compositions and their cover versions.

Russian Forest Metal: The Image of the Forest in Russian Atmospheric Black Metal

Yanina Rapatskaya — Sat, 21 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0300

The image of the forest serves as a key symbol in atmospheric black metal, through which an important connection with the past is facilitated, a crucial component of this music genre's conceptual essence, and a unique attitude towards nature is conveyed, one that is often juxtaposed with culture. However, for bands from Russia, the forest also represents an ethnoscape, a significant part of national identity. Moreover, some Russian projects further complicate this stereotype by converting it into a political statement, aimed at an ecological issue pertinent to both global and local narratives. Examples of such an approach can be found in the concept album "Fires" by Elderwind, which addresses the issue of forest fires in the Ural and Siberia, and the ecological manifesto of the duo Grima, dedicating all their creative work to the enigmatic master of the forest. The aim of this paper is to explore how the image of the Russian forest is utilized on visual, textual, and musical levels in the Elderwind project and by bands from the roster of the Slowsnow Records label, which specializes in atmospheric black metal with a forest theme.

Russia's Information Policy in the 2023-2024 Pre-Election Period

Artem S. Vasiliev — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0300

This article presents the findings of a study that explores the impact of information policy on the success of the pre-election campaign of V.V. Putin, the candidate for President of the Russian Federation, who officially took office for the fifth time on May 7, 2024. Our analysis suggests that one of the key factors behind this candidate's successful campaign was the integration of election campaigning and the information policy of the state. In this article, we aim to validate this claim while also evaluating the form and characteristics of this process. To conduct our study, we utilized the automated real-time media monitoring and analysis service "Medialogia". We focused on the periods from 2022 to 2023 and from 2023 to 2024, allowing us to compare the changes in the information landscape during these time frames. Our analysis revealed that one of the candidates had an advantage in terms of the number of mentions of his name during the election campaign. However, other candidates were ahead in terms of the positive tone of the messages they generated. Additionally, the study findings confirm the assumptions of experts regarding the trend of turning information policy into the practice of the press service.