Digital Media are Everywhere… Almost: Information Gaps and Their Socioeconomic Consequences

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15826/csp.2025.9.4.368

Abstract

This study explores how “invisible groups” experience “contested spaces” in landscape tourism situating the analysis at the intersection of digital media studies, museum anthropology, and tourism research. The study focuses on Arkaim, a Bronze Age archaeological site in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia and draws on survey data from 443 visitors collected in 2023. The article presents an overview of the survey results and applies additional methods to examine the marginalization of tourist groups oriented toward spiritual rather than educational or science-based tourism, as well as the socioeconomic implications of this marginalization. The findings reveal an invisible group of museum visitors who do not use digital spaces for collective organization or knowledge-building, thus challenging the assumption about the omnipresence of digital media. The study also highlights the role of word-of-mouth communication in the contemporary public sphere showing that it reinforces established epistemic norms and tends to overlook viewpoints that diverge from mainstream practices.

Author Biography

Marina V. Zagidullina, Chelyabinsk State University, Chelyabinsk

Marina V. Zagidullina, Dr. Sci. (Philology), Prof., Department of Media Theory, Chelyabinsk State University. Marina Zagidullina is the author of over 400 scholarly publications in the fields of media studies and literature. She chairs a dissertation council specializing in media communications and journalism. She also serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the journal entitled “Znak: Problemnoe pole mediaobrazovaniya.”

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Published
2025-12-29
How to Cite
Zagidullina, M. (2025). Digital Media are Everywhere… Almost: Information Gaps and Their Socioeconomic Consequences. Changing Societies & Personalities, 9(4), 1118-1127. doi:10.15826/csp.2025.9.4.368
Citation Formats
Issue
Vol. 9, No. 4 (2025)
Section
Articles in the Special Section