Shevchenko, Oleg K., Podlesnaya, Mariia A. (2026) ‘“Elite” and “Mass” Fiction in the Context of Convergent Culture’, Voprosy Filosofii, Vol. 3 (2026), pp. 34–45.DOI:https: ...

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the phenomenon of convergent culture,which is the result of intensive technological development and the transformationof traditional cultural processes. During the transition from mass cultureto convergent culture, the consumer’s role changes – he becomes an active participantand co-creator of content, reflecting shifting media boundaries and culturalproduction. The authors examine key types of convergent culture: intermedial,intercultural, intersectoral, and functional-genre convergence. The primarytool for such transformations is transmedia storytelling, which fosters a “cultureof participation” and active fan communities united not by nationality but bynarrative. Using Russian science fiction and fandom practices as an example,the article demonstrates the specifics of convergent culture in Russia, includingthe role of “online” and “classical” authors, audience differences, and the impactof commercialization. As a result of systematic work with creators and consumersof literary products in the fantasy genre, the authors of this article havecollected a significant volume of empirical material, which is being introducedinto scientific circulation for the first time. They note a tendency toward the erosionof national identities and the strengthening of cultural hybridity. The findingshighlight the dual effects of convergent culture: the expansion of creative potentialand the threat of standardization and loss of cultural diversity. The authorsexamine the storytelling as a mechanism for creating new meanings and collectiveidentities in the age of digital media. This article explores the influenceof convergent culture and technology on cultural practices, the literary process,and the formation of a vision of the future in contemporary Russia. The studywill be of interest to a wide range of researchers working in the fields of politicaland social philosophy, social ontology, philosophy of culture, and philosophicalanthropology.