Practices of Using VK

From August to October 2023, the Centre for Institutional Research conducted research for the VK social media platform. The aim was to understand what people use VK for. During the study, we collected 120 interviews, used the frame analysis method, and identified different forms of interaction with the platform.

We found that younger and older age groups use VK for different purposes. Adult users see VK as a ‘cloud storage’ for personal memories. For example, they keep important information, photos, videos, and audio files on this social media site. Younger users use VK for educational purposes — as a kind of learning management system (LMS). They exchange study materials, create communities around specific topics, hold online-classes and webinars, and organise collaborative project work.