The article examines the role of media communications in shaping the spaces of nativeness in the information and communication society. The spaces of nativeness are supposed as hybrid, symbiotic areas where natural, sociocultural and human processes intertwine, creating new forms of co-existence between humans and their territory, country, and Earth overall. The authors draw on the ideas of geophilosophy (G. Deleuze and F. Guattari), the concept of imaginary geographies by D. Zamyatin, media ecology theory by M. McLuhan, the theory of hyperobjects by T. Morton, and the spatial turn in media philosophy by M. Fuller. Media communications play a crucial role in constructing the perception and understanding of nativeness. They highlight the importance of considering the interplay between different dimensions — natural, cultural, and technological — in order to fully grasp the complicated nature of these spaces. Moreover, in this context, media also influence the perception of more-than-human-objects, integrating them into the understanding of the mediality beyond human-nature interactions. The analysis provides insights into how media can both shape and reflect the evolving relationship between humans and their environment in the contemporary world.

Keywords: media communications, geophilosophy, media environment, nativeness; landscape, hyperobject, earth, media ecology, imaginary geography, nature and media. more-than-human objects.

JEL Classification: L96, L82

For citation
Klyagin S.V., Menshchikova E.V. Mediacommunications in Creating Georgaphical Spaces of Nativeness. Issues of Media Business, 2026, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 5–11. https://doi.org/10.65324/imb014

This article explores global and national trends in media communications among event agencies in the United States and Russia. Ten American agencies, including Jack Morton Worldwide, Agency EA, MKG, Impact XM, Maritz, Sequence Events, George P. Johnson (GPJ), Momentum Worldwide, BCD Meetings & Events, and Rafanelli Events, were selected based on recommendations from industry leaders, Eventcube platform ratings, and Event Marketer. The Russian agencies selected were the leaders of the 2024 National Event Services Rating: Eventum Premo, TVIN, Redday, Lira, MarketEmotion Group, Avantage Event Project, ARK Group, Beetl, Team For Dream, and Event Lab by SberMarketing. A study of event agency websites revealed that global trends in event organization include working with offline, online, and hybrid formats; the use of innovative technologies and artificial intelligence; and attention to venue selection and aesthetics. Media communications trends include agencies' presentation of their philosophy; a value-based approach to employees and target audiences; and the use of a wide range of tools for presenting agencies and their projects, including showreels, reels, creative presentation of photographs, infographics, and more. National media communications trends in the US event industry include a strong focus on inclusion and gender issues, social responsibility, and the emotional component of projects, while declining interest in analytical approaches. National trends in Russia emphasize the uniqueness of each agency and combine emotional and rational components.

Keywords: event industry, event agency, media communications, special event, official website, media.

JEL Classification: L96, L82

For citation
Osipova E.A. Media Communications Trends in the Event Industry. Issues of Media Business, 2026, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 12–25. https://doi.org/10.65324/imb015

This article analyzes the transformation of media communication practices amid the rapid development of neural network and generative technologies. Neural networks are gradually becoming independent media intermediaries, transforming the methods of producing, distributing, and consuming information, as well as the logic of competition for audience attention. By replacing traditional media consumption channels — such as search engines, social networks, and online media — neural network interfaces are shaping a new model of the “answer engine economy,” in which users receive not direct access to sources but ready-made interpretations and synthesized representations of reality. As a result, media consumption is shifting from search and selection toward trust in algorithmically generated answers, reinforcing the role of neural networks as interpreters and filters of information. This shift presents PR and media professionals with fundamentally new challenges related to managing meaning, credibility, interpretability, and the visibility of communication content in an environment of algorithmically mediated perception. The article offers a theoretical understanding of neural networks as a new media intermediary, analyzes key risks and challenges for media communications, and introduces and conceptually substantiates the concept of “neurooptimization of media communication content” as a new professional and research practice.

Ключевые слова: media communications, neural networks, artificial intelligence, attention economy, response economy, neurooptimization, PR, media mediation.

JEL Classification: L96, L82

For citation
Alekseeva K.M. Transformation of media communications practices in the era of neural networks. Issues of Media Business, 2026, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 26–36. https://doi.org/10.65324/imb016

This article examines the phenomenon of media melancholia as a complex cultural and psychological formation emerging at the intersection of media influence on human affective states and their capacity to represent loss, nostalgia, and the fragility of time. The article explores how media shape emotional experience and demonstrates their potential for the medial representation of melancholia. It addresses the theoretical foundations of this phenomenon, its manifestations within media environments, and its philosophical and communicative dimensions. The study draws on psychoanalysis (S. Freud, J. Lacan, J. Kristeva), media philosophy (B. Groys, M. Fisher), and cultural theory (S. Sontag), introducing the concept of media melancholia in accordance with the criteria proposed by G. Deleuze and F. Guattari: the plane of immanence, defining characteristics, and the conceptual persona. The second part focuses on manifestations of melancholia in media, examining music (Burial’s Untrue), anime (Makoto Shinkai), video games (Death Stranding, Silent Hill 2), and liminal spaces, identifying key features such as fragmentation, solitude, and loss as a stimulus for communication. Media melancholia is interpreted not as a depressive state, but as a productive affect that enables the rethinking of digital fatigue and holds communicative potential within contemporary media practices.

Keywords: media, melancholia, communication, media communication, communication theory, hauntology.

JEL Classification: L96, L82

For citation
Zhigulskiy V.S. Media Melancholia: On the Communicability of the Affects of Nostalgia, Memory, and Loss. Issues of Media Business, 2026, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 37–47. https://doi.org/10.65324/imb017

The article proposes a typology of new communication formats applied within the framework of the problem-oriented approach used in modern corporate communications of large Russian companies. With the onset of the pandemic, Russian corporate PR was forced to address pressing business challenges (strengthening negotiating positions, retaining and attracting personnel, supporting sales, preventing and minimizing reputational risks, etc.), which increased the authority of the PR function within the corporate hierarchy. Working to achieve business results (profit generation) in crisis conditions, modern corporate PR teams utilize new communication formats to interact with both internal (personnel) and external (clients, stakeholders, partners) audiences. For instance, internal communications increasingly employ storytelling, gamification, digitalization of traditional corporate media, media volunteering, and information cascading systems. Thanks to short vertical video formats built on the principles of infotainment and edutainment, digital communications have refocused on tasks related to personnel development. The development of external communications is driven by the creation of proprietary media and corporate blogs, personal blogs of top management, and the promotion of the company's expertise and social projects. Thus, modern corporate communications are becoming increasingly integrated into the strategic development system of companies, ensuring their stability in an unstable business context.

Keywords: internal communications, digital communications, digital communications, infotainment, edutainment, business tasks, media volunteering, brand media, media, information cascading.

JEL Classification: L96, L82

For citation
Koshkin S.A. The potential of new communication formats in a period of socio-economic turbulence. Issues of Media Business, 2026, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 48–60. https://doi.org/10.65324/imb018

The article analyzes the contribution of creative industries to the economy of the country and its individual regions, and indicates that this growth can be significantly more substantial if conditions are created to unlock the potential for the development of non-material resources, which include the following types: intellectual property (patents, copyrights, and trademarks), reputation and branding (company image and brand value), customer base and business relationships, and human resources. The authors highlight key trends in the development of intangible resources in creative industries through the lens of media communications: promotion of unique creative products through media communications, which become the main tool for the transmission of modern intangible values and meanings, the formation and development of media support networks and platforms for the intangible resources of participants in creative industries (brand, image etc.), processing and using big data in the process of developing intangible resources in creative industries through the prism of media communications, and the steady growth of the influence of media communications on the development of intangible resources (business and professional reputation, image, brand value, etc.) in the context of digitalization. The article concludes that it is necessary to effectively take into account the identified trends in the development of professional and business reputation, the organization’s image, business relations, and other intangible resources, using the example of creative industries companies in the context of media communications with key stakeholders.

Keywords: intangible resources, creative industries, the prism of media communications, industries, economy, advertising, design, key stakeholders.

JEL Classification: L96, L82

For citation
Panasenko S.V., Suray N.M. Development of Intangible Resources in Creative Industries Through the Prism of Media Communications. Issues of Media Business, 2026, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 61–69. https://doi.org/10.65324/imb019

St. Petersburg is one of the key centers of the creative industry and creative spaces in Russia. The city’s historical heritage, rich cultural environment and well-developed infrastructure contribute to the formation of a unique ecosystem in which traditional art forms and modern digital technologies successfully coexist. At the same time, there is an active development of platform business in the field of creative industries: from online galleries and digital art markets to services for the promotion of musicians, designers and content creators. However, the growing influence of large digital platforms creates challenges for the competitive environment, which leads to the risks of individual players dominating in particular regions, restricting independent authors’ access to the audience, discriminatory monetization conditions, and the issue of interference in the creation of a creative environment by authorities and public entities, which can directly contribute to reducing competition. In these circumstances, antimonopoly regulation is of particular importance, designed to ensure fair competition conditions and support the diversity of the creative economy in the context of ensuring dialogue between private and public legal entities. The article is devoted to the analysis of the features of antimonopoly regulation of platform business in the field of creative industries and its impact on the competitive environment of the region in the context of economic transformation. The relevance of the research is due to the growing role of platform-based business organization in the implementation of creative and unique institutional products, as well as the need to improve antimonopoly control mechanisms in the context of identifying signs of violations of antimonopoly legislation in the actions (inaction) of the authorities of St. Petersburg.

Keywords: digital platforms, network effect, creative industries, antimonopoly regulation, St. Petersburg, antimonopoly authority, art, business entity, competition, platform economy.

JEL Classification: L96, L82

For citation
Vladimirov V.V., Tyurina A.V. Antimonopoly regulation of platform business in the creative industries of St. Petersburg. Issues of Media Business, 2026, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 70–78. https://doi.org/10.65324/imb020

This article examines the mediality of fiction and its mediacommunicative potential in the context of the mediatization of culture. These issues are explored through Russian- and Spanish-language children’s literature, with the discourse of childhood analysed in its medial, literary, and sociocultural dimensions. The comparative approach makes it possible to identify the specific features of media technologies involved in the representation of childhood across different cultural and historical contexts, in which the literary word functions as a channel of mediacommunication and a carrier of stable media codes. The article analyzes children’s fiction texts (the creation of V. Panova and A.M. Matute) from the point of view of their media communication potential, which is a novel approach to the stated problem.

Keywords: mediacommunications, media technologies, mediatization of culture, socio-cultural environment, discourse, text, childhood, creativity, semiosphere, symbol, suggestion, children’s literature.

JEL Classification: L96, L82

For citation
Dzyakovich E.V., Konokhova A.A. On the Mediality of Literary Fiction in Mediatization of Culture. Issues of Media Business, 2026, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 79–90. https://doi.org/10.65324/imb021

This article examines the role and potential of new media in transforming and improving internal communications in modern organizations. Using a case-study approach, the paper analyzes the implementation of digital platforms, corporate social networks, and messaging services aimed at increasing employee engagement, strengthening corporate culture, and improving the speed of information exchange. Particular attention is paid to overcoming traditional barriers in internal communication, including hierarchical, territorial, and functional barriers. The study shows that visual and interactive content has become an important tool for building a sense of community, trust, and employee loyalty. At the same time, the implementation of new media is associated with a number of challenges, including information overload, digital hygiene issues, and information security risks. Therefore, the use of corporate social networks and messengers should be developed within the framework of information security management systems, while identification and authentication practices should correspond to the current recommendations of the NIST SP 800-63 series. The article offers practical recommendations for developing an effective internal communication strategy based on the creative use of new media technologies to achieve strategic business goals. It is concluded that new media are becoming not merely an auxiliary channel, but a full-fledged instrument of organizational development, higher productivity, and stronger HR branding.

Keywords: Internal communications, new media, corporate culture, employee engagement, digitalization, social intranet platforms, HR branding, organizational development.

JEL Classification: L96, L82

For citation
Malinin I.I., Lukinskaya E.A. New Media as a Creative Tool for Solving Internal Communications Problems. Issues of Media Business, 2026, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 91–99. https://doi.org/10.65324/imb022

The article focuses on the analysis of pragmatic communication within the socio-cultural context. The author emphasizes the significance of interdisciplinary research on synthetic media within the creative sectors. The study’s empirical foundation comprises publications in Russian federal media concerning the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, the Multimedia Art Museum (MAMM), the Marina Tsvetaeva House Museum, and the GROUND Solyanka gallery workshop. Materials from these organizations’ official websites and social media platforms, as well as data from exhibitions held in their museum spaces, were also incorporated. Modern technologies have profoundly altered how individuals perceive and interact with their surroundings, particularly within urban settings and socio-cultural activities. The advent of synthetic media, exemplified by the media urban symphony, underscores the emergence of a new facet of urban existence—its medial dimension. Sound, a crucial component of media urban symphony, influences various facets of communication, encompassing verbal and musical expressions, as well as social and natural auditory phenomena. It functions as a versatile instrument for comprehending the surroundings and the objective world. The advancement of synthetic media technologies presents novel theoretical and practical viewpoints. Mediatization leads to an increase in synthetic media, which enriches the empirical foundation and offers additional subjects for scientific investigation.

Keywords: synthetic media; media city, urban space, acoustic environment, social and cultural sphere, city museum; pragmatic communications, media.

JEL Classification: L96, L82

For citation
Kurenkova A.I. The Museum is the Message: on Symphonic Sounding of the Urban Media Ecologies. Issues of Media Business, 2026, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 100–109. https://doi.org/10.65324/imb023

This article examines the critical issue of the digital divide as a key barrier to the full integration of phygital technologies in media communications, advertising, and public relations. The relevance of this work stems from the accelerated digitalization of communications, where phygital strategies that combine online interaction with offline experiences (e.g., QR codes, NFC tags, virtual and augmented reality, interactive installations) are becoming the new standard. However, their effectiveness and ethical implementation directly depend on bridging the digital divide. The purpose of this study is to analyze the structural and socio-demographic factors of the digital divide (access to infrastructure, level of digital competencies, media literacy) and their impact on the planning, implementation, and evaluation of phygital campaigns. The methodology includes a systematic literature review and case studies. The article analyzes three cases of promoting Russian brands using phygital technologies. The study confirmed that phygital tools demonstrate a high potential for generating an emotional response and a surprising effect, suggesting the “wow” effect is one of their key characteristics. The authors conclude that ignoring the digital divide leads not only to a reduction in the reach and effectiveness of communications but also to increased social exclusion, reputational risks for brands, and unethical targeting practices. The main scientific contribution of the article lies in the development of a conceptual framework for adapting phygital strategies to the levels of the digital divide. Its practical significance lies in its recommendations for communicators on creating inclusive campaigns that combine phygital innovations with traditional channels, thereby ensuring sustainable industry development in the face of digital inequality.

Keywords: digital divide, phygital, advertising, public relations, media business, augmented reality.

JEL Classification: L96, L82

For citation
Bykov I.A., Revenko S.S. The Impact of the Digital Divide on the Adoption of Phygital Technologies in Advertising and Public Relations. Issues of Media Business, 2026, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 110–122. https://doi.org/10.65324/imb024

The article offers an analysis of the unsuccessful transmedia transition from Neil Gaiman’s cult novel American Gods to its television adaptation, which suffered both strategic and artistic failure. The authors examine the series as an indicator of the limits of transmediality in the contemporary media environment, reflecting the tensions between different forms of affective mediality underlying literary and audiovisual experience. Drawing on a media-philosophical approach, the authors overcome the constraints of the semiotic model of transmediality proposed by H. Jenkins and C. Scolari, emphasizing the significance of the embodied and affective dimensions of media impact. On this methodological basis, the article argues that a successful transmedia project requires not only the coordination of narrative and symbolic structures but also the transfer of specific sensory modes of perception, which in the case of American Gods proved unattainable. Gaiman’s novel is examined as a paradigm of textual cult status, grounded in the effect of living mythology and the reader’s experience of intimate contact with divine agents. This structure aligns with biological and cognitive preconditions of religious imagination, including the modeling of agency, expectations of exchange, and emotional responses to the presence of the supernatural. The series, by contrast, appears as a visually saturated yet affectively truncated form, in which gods become aesthetic phenomena deprived of participation in social exchange with characters and viewers. This rupture undermines the mechanisms of religious plausibility and explains the emotional distancing of the audience. In the institutional context, the article associates the failure of the series with a conflict between niche and mass marketing strategies within platform-based media economies. The series ultimately addresses a narrow audience attuned to visual experimentation but fails to meet the expectations of the broader market. The authors conclude that the American Gods project illustrates the limits of digital visualisation as a means of sustaining cult potential, thereby exposing the importance of the media channel as a condition for preserving the cultural status of a work.

Keywords: cult cinema, American Gods, transmediality, cult status, parasociality, cultural codes, mythological structures, media communication.

JEL Classification: L96, L82

The study was supported by grant No. 25-28-01261 from the Russian Science Foundation, “Family Memory of the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945 in the Modern Media Environment.”

For citation
Balash V.A., Mikhaylin V.Yu., Tikhonova S.V. It is Hard to be an Transmedia God: from the Cult Status of the Novel to the Failure of the Television Series (American Gods). Issues of Media Business, 2026, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 123–137. https://doi.org/10.65324/imb025

This article presents the results of developing a method and system for detecting phishing activity on web resources using neural network technologies. The aim of the study is to develop and provide scientific and methodological justification for a method that, based on heuristic analysis of the domain name, URL, HTML and JavaScript code, identifies phishing websites targeting Russian-speaking users, in order to improve the effectiveness of anti-fraud measures. The research was conducted using the «Antiphishing» information system for monitoring phishing websites. At the theoretical stage, an analysis of existing phishing detection methods was performed, their limitations were identified, a system configuration consisting of 27 heuristic criteria was defined, and an algorithm for feature extraction and normalization for subsequent processing by machine learning models was developed. The experimental stage included the collection and expert labeling of 10,000 web resources with an equal ratio of phishing and legitimate sites. Five algorithms were used for training and validation: decision tree, random forest, support vector machine, XGBoost, and multi-layer perceptron. The obtained data were processed using grid search for hyperparameters and five-fold cross-validation. The operation of the system as part of the «Antiphishing» information system over a period of one and a half years confirmed its practical applicability and effectiveness. The system serves as a tool for automated diagnostics of phishing resources, reducing the workload on experts and identifying complex and non-obvious cases of fraud.

Keywords: phishing, fraud counteraction, machine learning, artificial intelligence, web analytics.

JEL Classification: L96, L82

For citation
Lunegov L.V., Nemtsev N.A., Prishletsov E.M., Yakunin A.S. On the Development of a Phishing Activity Detection System Using Neural Network Technologies. Issues of Media Business, 2026, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 138–151. https://doi.org/10.65324/imb026