Skip to main content
Support
Event

The Information Revolution in Russia: How IT is Changing Industry, Government, and Society

D.J. Peterson, Senior Political Scientist, RAND Corporation

Date & Time

Monday
Nov. 15, 2004
10:00am – 11:00am ET

Overview

At a recent Kennan Institute talk, D.J. Peterson, Senior Political Scientist, RAND Corporation, discussed the impact of information technology (IT) on economic, political, and social life in Russia. He noted that the growth of IT is frequently portrayed as promoting increased transparency and the development of civil society and democracy. Russians are widely perceived as being well-educated and adept at innovating and adopting IT. Therefore, Peterson noted, it would appear likely that the Internet will profoundly affect Russia's future. However, he argued that although use of IT—particularly use of the Internet—is revolutionizing the lives of a significant number of Russians, it is unlikely to have a very strong effect on the political system or civil society in the near future.

IT is becoming a significant factor in Russian life. Peterson noted that there are 61 million mobile phones in use in Russia—equal to nearly half the population of the country—and the number of mobile phones in use is still increasing. Internet use is much less common, with only 8 percent of the population using the Internet at least weekly. However, in Moscow, 24 percent of Russians use the Internet regularly, and nationwide the number of Internet users is increasing by 30 percent each year. Peterson added that the state has made significant progress in putting computers in schools and training teachers in their use.

The Internet is an important and growing phenomenon in Russian society, according to Peterson. Russians use the Internet to access entertainment and news sites and as a personal meeting space through chat programs, blogging, and community web sites. Particularly interesting, in Peterson's view, is how the Russian Internet is used for consumer research and financial transactions. Russians are increasingly using web sites to compare different brands of products such as cars and cell phones. Peterson noted that although many analysts believed that the undeveloped banking system and lack of credit cards in Russia would prevent the development of e-commerce, innovative systems allowing people to pay for things like phone service, rent, and utilities on the Internet or over their mobile phones are being developed and used. Internet users in Russia have access to sites from all over the world, but, according to Peterson, most Russians primarily visit domestic web sites.

Although the Internet is revolutionizing some aspects of life in Russia, its effects on civil society and politics are unclear, Peterson argued. He contended that the Internet is the freest medium for information in Russia, and that it can be a powerful tool for activists and advocacy groups. However, currently the state has been much more active than most NGOs in using the Internet as a tool for communications and outreach. Peterson argued that the information revolution in Russia has been and will continue to be subject to serious constraints. Government initiatives designed to make official information available through web sites have been only half-heartedly implemented, and the list of topics subject to state secrecy rules is increasing. According to Peterson, state officials are maintaining their capabilities to monitor the Russian Internet, and Russian web editors and Internet users are therefore careful about what they say and do online. For these reasons, Peterson concluded that the information revolution alone will not lead to radical changes in Russian politics and society.

Tagged

Hosted By

Kennan Institute

The Kennan Institute is the premier US center for advanced research on Russia and Eurasia and the oldest and largest regional program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The Kennan Institute is committed to improving American understanding of Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the surrounding region though research and exchange.  Read more

Thank you for your interest in this event. Please send any feedback or questions to our Events staff.