How would have events at Chernobyl developed if the Internet had existed in 1986? First, we would have seen rumours spreading on Facebook and short messages on anonymous Telegram channels saying things like “something somewhere has exploded”. This would have been followed by a couple of fuzzy photos on Instagram of a glow against a dark sky. Then perhaps a livestream on YouTube from a Pripyat rooftop where you would have heard the sounds of sirens, but not been able to make out anything precise. Then the hashtag #Chernobyl would have appeared as trending on Twitter. We would have started getting reports that the Internet was blocked in the incident area – but this would not have halted the flow of information, and only stirred up more rumours. A bit later, environmental and urban activists would have begun to share data from networks of sensors deployed for environmental monitoring. A dedicated group for eyewitnesses would have appeared on the Vkontakte social network. Then someone would have created a dedicated web page to collect information from various sources. Finally, a few hours later, the authorities would have been compelled to make a statement, something short like “there is no serious danger” or ”the situation is under complete control”. Journalists from Russian federal TV channel would have been allowed into the power station to report on the effective incident response measures. Perhaps a well-known blogger would also have been invited as a part of the official pool.
With new information technologies, a repeat of the kind of information blockade - when the Soviet authorities kept quiet about the disaster - that was set up around Chernobyl would hardly be possible today. But the unprecedented scale of user reactions in the Russian-speaking segment to HBO’s TV miniseries Chernobyl has shown that the story of the accident goes deeper than the question of historical truth. It would seem that the events of April-May 1986 have already entered the history books; information about what happened to Reactor No.4 at Chernobyl is publicly available. A whole range of documentaries have been produced in Ukraine, Russia and elsewhere. Many documents have been declassified, and hundreds of participants in the events have recounted their numerous versions of what happened. Yet HBO’s Chernobyl series still “exploded” the social networks.
For the Russian audience, perhaps not always consciously, the main theme of Chernobyl was not the events of the past, but the forces of invisibility that are still at work today
Of course, any attempt by outside observers to tell us a version of our history is controversial and inevitably leads to a discussion of historical authenticity. Particular attention is paid to how far external observers are able to avoid stereotypes, understand the everyday life and values of the main characters involved, or show the cognitive complexity of their relationships. These issues were much discussed recently, in both Russian and foreign media.
