October 20, 2019

Adding Me, and You, and All of Us to AdMe.ru


Adding Me, and You, and All of Us to AdMe.ru
AdMe's Facebook cover photo: "...let's make this world a little bit kinder." AdMe.ru | Facebook

I was first introduced to AdMe.ru by an almost-babushka Russian language teacher in Moldova. Trying to be both a babushka and a language teacher at the same time, for conversation practice she sometimes printed how-to articles on being happy. The articles were full of advice like eliminating the words “can’t” and frequently saying “thank you.” 

Post about gratefulness on AdMe
AdMe has not decreased its emphasis on gratitude one iota in the past four years.  (Russian: In life there is always, always, ALWAYS something you can and must be grateful for.) / AdMe.ru | Facebook

I originally subscribed to AdMe.ru on Facebook for language practice, but it is the positivity – the trendy new noun positiv in Russian – that keep me mindlessly scrolling through their cartoon-illustrated listicles, arts-and-crafts videos, and feel-good facts about ducks four years later. I’m not alone. Their Facebook has over five million subscribers, making it the third most popular Russian language site (and their DIY sister site, Beri i delai, which roughly translates as “Get to it,”comes in fourth). Their Youtube channel does even better, with over ten million subscribers. 

The high proportion of young mother stories, celebrity then-and-now comparisons, and home decorating content, as well as the site’s use of the previously cool word for cool (kruto – we are now two slang generations beyond that, through prikolno to klyovo) would make you think the site is for women in their 30s. According to a 2014 staff photo, this appears to be the approximate demographic of the writers, too. However, in reality the audience is more eclectic. Here are just a few subscribers that I happen to be friends with on Facebook: a female college student from Azerbaijan, a male entrepreneur in his 30’s from Ukraine, and an elderly Moldovan choir teacher. It is a Russian – dot ru – site, but the outlet is perhaps even more popular in Russia’s near abroad than in Russia itself; the VKontakte (Russia’s most popular social media) page has “only” 1.5 million subscribers. 

A diverse audience may be responsible for the site’s apparent paradoxes – or, perhaps, these paradoxes illustrate that post-Soviet day-to-day values and culture are more nuanced than you’d think. On the one hand, the site takes stances radical for the region, like men are attractive with long hair, and – PSA – getting cold doesn’t actually give you a cold. On the other hand, sometimes ideas not widely embraced in the former Soviet Union, such as mental health and feminism, are given airtime but subjected to sketchy science, hot takes, and lukewarm reactionism: Deal with anxiety by doing house chores, rather than seeing a therapist! See men’s reaction to feminist photoshoots! Women are “excellent, unpredictable” creatures, whose “entire essence” is contained in 23 texts

AdMe facebook post of men with long hair
AdMe can prove anything, with the right visuals. (Russian: 20+ proofs that long hair makes men devilishly attractive.) / AdMe.ru | Facebook

While much of the content is tied to the external world, there is also a healthy dose of over-the-top on-brand Russia. A recent post, for instance, asked users to replace a word in a movie title with kolbasa (sausage). A few of the 1,000+ comments: “Seventeen moments of sausage,” “Moscow doesn’t believe in sausage” – but also, “50 shades of sausage.”

AdMe’s tone is grassroots-edgy, which seems to be received much better than outlets pushing liberal social values in overt alignment with the West. AdMe used to cover advertising, before expanding to all forms of creativity and beyond. Their expertise in messaging is clear. The site may seem baffling to outsiders, but clearly responds to its the needs of its readers (figuratively and literally – they actually regularly respond to comments on posts, emojis and all), just like the gif-dense lists and quizzes of Buzzfeed scratched an itch millennials didn’t know they had. From a listicle of adult symbols in Alice in Wonderland to a video of adult uses of crayons, AdMe is a master at putting a modern flourish on the familiar, nostalgic even. It is a deep-rooted Russianness that lets AdMe push the boundaries of its readers’ comfort zone – and lighthearted pressure from the inside helps the comfort zone to slowly expand. 

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955