Arctic Life Quality in the Context of Digital Inequality: Reindeer Herders Blogging

The introduction of the 4G stations with the Internet provided new opportunities for people in remote areas of Russia to share their experiences and connect with others from different parts of the world as well as between different parts of Tundra. Due to the increasing popularity of social media platforms, indigenous individuals have started to engage in blogging as amateurs, offering a glimpse into their daily routines and cultural practices to a worldwide audience, thereby showcasing their distinct way of living. This research project delves into the impact of digital disparities on indigenous bloggers, focusing on access to technology and internet connectivity, physicality in offline, everyday craft activities. In this paper the author will try to examine the representation of everyday life by the ethnobloggers and try to distinguish what are the links between physicality and virtuality, digital world and natural landscape. The Russian federal program to overcome digital inequality shapes the context of the research, because it is important to understand how these changes are influencing cultures such as that of the indigenous peoples . Elimination of inequality enters into tension with the “conservation” of traditional culture: by keeping it, the movement into the digital age is complicated. At the same time with the access to the benefits of the Internet, the preservation of traditional culture can be put at risk. Through interviews, digital participant observation of the development of blogs and bloggers, and content analysis, this study seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the digital divide and its effects on indigenous communities.