We are excited to announce a new weekly series of 15-minute informal virtual Zoom lectures about memes and viral video on the Russian Internet, presented by our very own Eliot Borenstein. Each lecture will be followed by a moderated, on-line discussion, as well as just more general chat for anyone who feels like staying on-line. The lecture will subsequently be uploaded to YouTube, where you can find all the lectures in this series.

Lecture Five - Going Viral: The Memes of COVID-19

Like most of the world, Russia has taken most of its non-essential interactions on-line.  Unsurprisingly, this has led to a wide range of virus-related memes and videos, some of them even jumping the language barrier to the non-Russian Internet (such as the many Russian Internet users who have reenacted the scenes of famous paintings while sheltering in place).  In addition to analyzing examples of specifically Russian memetic responses to the coronavirus, this talk will consider some of the broader questions raised by Internet engagement in the age of social distancing.

If you would like to attend, please email jordan.russia.center@nyu.edu for the zoom meeting information.