Abstract
DOI: https://doi.org/10.58984/smb2602143l
This paper examines the transformation of contemporary networked societies through the emergence of the information-controlled society (ICS). The aim of the study is to conceptualize the notion of the ICS and to comparatively analyze its manifestations in the United States of America and the Russian Federation, with particular emphasis on legal regulation, traditional media structures, and the online public sphere. The research adopts a comparative narrative review design combined with qualitative case study analysis, integrating content analysis of legal and institutional sources with a systematic comparative method. The findings indicate that the United States operates through a hybrid state–market model of information control characterized by advanced technological infrastructure, corporate data exploitation, and normalized surveillance practices, while the Russian Federation relies on a predominantly centralized state-centered model marked by direct political influence over broadcast media and expanding regulatory oversight of the digital sphere. Despite structural differences, both cases demonstrate convergent tendencies toward the consolidation of informational power, increased surveillance capacities, and the gradual erosion of citizens’ autonomy within the public sphere. The study argues that contemporary systems of information control transcend the traditional dichotomy between democratic and authoritarian media models, revealing hybrid mechanisms of governance embedded in global digital infrastructures.
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