Generational Analysis of the Russian Digital Media Audience

This study is devoted to the analysis of the Russian digital media audience using the generational approach within the framework of psychographic segmentation. The author proposes a hypothesis that if the time of media consumption of generations X, Y, Z by segments will change, the distribution between genre types of consumed content should remain stable. The study deals with the experience of the theory of generations’ research in the US and Russia, and the application of the approach by Russian scientists in theory and practice in related fields. The study also relates to the main characteristics and approaches devoted to the study of the digital media audience, the concept of media system and its evolution in Russia when generations X, Y and Z are age of reason. As an empirical part of the work, the shared distribution of generations X, Y, Z by channels, genres and average time viewing are considered. The obtained results make it possible to prove the hypothesis partially and make an attempt to work out recommendations for further studies of the Russian digital media audience in the context of the theory of generations.