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Любимые авторы. любимые книги: что читает современная молодежь (по данным анализа сети ВКонтакте)
Favorite Authors, Favorite Books: What Do Young People Read Today (Based on Analysis of VKontakte Network)
The article contains an analysis of Russia`s modern day youth reading preferences based on the data regarding books and reading found in Vkontakte network profiles of young people (aged 17-23), residents of 34 towns of varying size. Only 9% of the young network users provide such information about themselves which is much less than the data of favorite music and films. This means that for the greater part of the youth reading is not a major or substantial means of representation in a reference group and the value of reading in general is low. All in all of the profiles mention over 1500 authors and almost 5000 literary works, when over a quarter of all mentions falling on 10 authors, and over a half on 50. This is the circle of authors relatively popular among the youth. The top 20 popular authors are practically identical in towns of varying populace size including Moscow; the structure of reading preferences varies very little be major group. Contemporary foreign literature, Russian classics, foreign fantasy and sci-fi, 20th century literature are in the lead. The only thing differentiating young people from towns of varying sizes is the interest in translated 20th century literature. The larger the city the greater the interest in such literature and vice versa – the smaller the town the more mentions of foreign and especially Russian fantasy works there are.
Young people from towns of varying size share not only the same circle of most popular authors but a lack of interest in contemporary Russian prose and poetry as well. Despite the frequent mentions of the Russian classics the value of which is established in school, only Dostoevsky and Tolstoy are represented equally among the youngest – recent high-school graduates – and the oldest. The rest (Pushkin, Gogol, Lermontov) get mentioned less with more time passing since graduation. Differences in authors important for the reading youth in general and in more advanced part, especially Moscow students, have been determined. An analysis of types of communication of modern day youngsters with the most and the least value-heavy groups of literature – Russian classics and fantasy – has been performed as well.