Nazarov M.M., Yurkin D.N. (2025). The structure of media consumption in Russia: results of a typological analysis. Communicology. Vol. 13. No. 3. P. 43-60.

Abstract

The article presents the results of representative study of the multimedia behavior of the Russian audience conducted in 2022. The data reflects the characteristics of media consumption at the beginning of the current historical period associated with changes in a number of key constants of social life. The cluster and discriminant analysis procedures help to identify five statistically stable, internally homogeneous and different typological groups (clusters) in the audience structure. The basis for cluster differentiation employed various media ‘repertoires’ of the audience: sets and durations of media use, and their components – TV channels, radio stations, social networks, video aggregators, online publications, and other sources. Among the socio-demographic characteristics, the most significant differentiating feature of clusters is age. According to the results, in the total time of media use, about 60% was spent on online media (social networks, video content aggregators and other Internet resources), the rest was spent on traditional media (primarily television). The results of the typological analysis allow to assess the distribution of contact time in audience clusters with news and socio-political content reflecting the official Russian information agenda. The news sources of most cluster groups are differed from one another and have low overlapping. In the context of increasing tensions in the international relations and the growing information confrontation, this leads to the complication of media agenda.