Historical past in reflection of urban-oriented network media: new methods of commemoration

The article is devoted to the information-communicative and structural-stylistic features of the presentation of the past on the pages of urban-oriented network media that developed as an independent segment of the Russian media in the 2010s. The theoretical and methodological framework of the research is based on the studies related to the perception of commemoration as a social activity aimed at constructing cultural memory. Particular attention is given in the article to the discursive role of the media in these processes. The media are considered to be proactive mnemonic actors that not only broadcast but also create images of the historical past. Meanwhile, the choice of a commemorative strategy depends on the information policy and communicative attitudes of the particular editorial team. In urban-oriented media, topics of the historical past are included in the general agenda of a comfortable urban area, and their discursive embodiment corresponds to the orientation of these media toward active interaction with the audience. The main reference points in speculating about the past are the ideas of a personal attitude to history, joint action and the creation of a living space of memory, where the past is connected with the present in everyday urban practices. Images of the past appear in publications about life in historic houses, excursions and tours around the city, public initiatives aiming to preserve and improve the historical environment. A reliance on the monologue of the character who tells his story in the form of a self-narrative is common for such images. Contemporary engaging formats are used effectively. Humorous interactive tests, built based on publications about the unofficial history of the city, make it possible to combine entertainment with cognitive and communicative activities aimed at forming a new urban identity.