OLD MYTHS AGAINST THE FUTURE: A SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF NETWORK COMMUNICATION IN THE POST-SOVIET SPACE

Abstract

This article provides a sociological analysis of discussions in online communities in the post-Soviet space as an important element of modern hybrid warfare. It shows how old Soviet myths and symbols are reproduced in digital communications and transformed into instruments of ideological influence directed against the future of independent post-Soviet states. Based on a quantitative and qualitative analysis of user comments in a Facebook chat group that brings together former residents of Latvia, the article traces the mechanisms of spreading Soviet narratives, ways of symbolically legitimizing the Soviet past, and the formation of a discourse of nostalgia. The main types of statements have been identified: demonstrative irony, criticism of the authorities, attacks on opponents, and attempts to remove Soviet symbols from Russian discourse. It has been proven that online communications are becoming an arena for confrontation between the past and the future, where Soviet mythology functions as a weapon of informational influence aimed at preserving imperial identities and undermining trust in contemporary European values. The author shows that manipulative narratives are based on simplified, linear thinking, a lack of criticality, and an appeal to the “golden past,” which serves as a substitute for understanding the real future. The article substantiates the thesis about the need to develop the sociology of the future as a field that allows analyzing not only the consequences of past socializations, but also the potential for transformations in the value-cultural space of post-Soviet societies. The results of the study show that information platforms serve not only as channels for the exchange of ideas, but also as mechanisms of ideological reproduction, through which the past hinders the establishment of modern and democratic values. Particular attention is paid to the role of online discussions in the reproduction of identities based on collective memory and the ways in which they are transformed under the influence of war experience. The results obtained can be used for further research into the impact of digital communications on the formation of public consciousness in times of crisis. Hybrid warfare is not only an armed conflict, but also a communicative confrontation – a struggle for the interpretation of the future.