The transformation of the Russian digital media market and its impact on lifestyle journalism content practices

the presented study analyzes the impact of market, platform and technological factors on the development of the Russian segment of lifestyle journalism in the context of accelerated digital transformation. The relevance of the research is determined by the rapid growth of the Internet audience, the changing structure of media consumption and the significant strengthening of the role of platforms, which requires a rethink of strategies for the production and distribution of media content. The purpose of the study is to identify key changes in the Russian digital media market and determine how they are transforming lifestyle media formats, economics, and practices. The materials and methods include the analysis of industry statistics, data on the dynamics of the advertising market, a comparative review of platform indicators and consideration of media production cases; methods of structural and functional analysis, secondary data analysis and interpretative comparison are applied. The scientific novelty of the work consists in a comprehensive consideration of the interaction of three groups of factors – market, platform and technological – and their combined impact on the development of lifestyle journalism. The main results show a steady growth of online audiences, the expansion of social platforms, an increase in online advertising volumes by more than 50%, the dominance of native advertising as a key monetization format, as well as the active integration of artificial intelligence tools into the content creation and optimization process. The practical application of the results is to form guidelines for media, advertisers and content creators when choosing effective adaptation strategies to the changing digital environment. The article will be useful for media researchers, journalists, editors, digital marketing specialists and media planners.

lifestyle journalism, digital platforms, VKontakte, Telegram, audience reach, online advertising market, media analytics, media commercialization, digital content, media trends