On the other side of the world, an entirely different internet is taking place: Russian internet. Today, Natalie Shure takes us on a tour of recent artifacts on the Russian web, from VKontakte to LiveJournal, from controversial pranksters to nonsensical dance loops.

The U.S. - Russia Social Experiment Heard Round the World

Nikolai and Guram, the Russian duo behind the popular YouTube channel Rakamakafo, bill themselves as pranksters in their bio. Lately, though, their uploads have veered toward amateur social commentary.

While Nikolai was on vacation in Miami, the guys decided to compare the reactions of passers-by to an ill stranger in both countries. So Guram and Nikolai played sick for hidden cameras in busy spots in their home cities of St. Petersburg, Russia and the United States, respectively.

The results of their (admittedly noncompliant with the scientific method) test were pretty startling. Over three days, Guram lay on the ground for hours before anyone stopped to check on him. Nikolai, however, was consistently tended to within less than one minute. The video wraps with them asking why their country is like that, and encouraging viewers not to be indifferent toward others in need.

The video racked up over five million views. But not everyone was on board with the warm and fuzzy conclusion. Criticism ranged from nitpicking the experiment's methodology to branding the video pro-American propaganda. Plenty of these issues were valid - after all, the guys behind Rakamakafo never claimed to be trained sociologists.

As many commenters pointed out, there many possible explanations for the sharp contrast between St. Petersburg and Miami. While most Americans seemed to read Nikolai as ill, Russians almost certainly assumed that Guram was drunk. Drinking is a huge part of Russian culture—especially among men—but it's also a highly social activity. The fact that Guram is alone mid-day makes it easy to assume he is an alcoholic on a zapoi—a booze binge lasting more than 24-hours.

The fact that there is a specific word for that in Russian might be funny if it weren't indicative of such a tragic cultural reality. Nearly 25% of Russian men die before they turn 55, many of whom are lost to alcohol-related complications. The country's staggering alcoholism stats are linked with various forms of violence, and are a source of incredible pain. Quite simply, the toll alcoholism has taken on Russia is different than it has been in other countries.

In a collective culture like Russia's, the fact that Guram was alone was probably also damning. (Wouldn't an upstanding fellow have friends around to help him?) Addiction treatment has also been slow to develop there, and care for the substance-dependent has yet to become mainstream.

I'm not so much defending the Russians' behavior here, so much as giving it some context. Russians are no more monsters than Americans are angels. Nikolai performed his part in what looks like a low-key tourist-y boardwalk, where it would be much easier to stop than on more crowded urban thoroughfares like the ones in Guram's clips. Also, Nikolai is, well, whiter than Guram, an ethnic Georgian. Plenty of commenters pointed out that Russians would have stopped in greater numbers to help Nikolai, and fewer Americans would have paused for Guram. This is probably true, but not exactly a ringing endorsement of the cultural forces in either place.

The Crowdsourced Citywide Dance Video That You Deserve

If the last two videos have reaffirmed your suspicions that Russia is a bleak abyss of icy sorrow, deprogram a bit. For all of its issues, Russia gets a tough shake in popular culture. So I love things like this video that challenge that. This video was made by a group of young people in Omsk, Siberia (seriously! It's amazing in the summer!) who went around the city asking strangers to dance in their film. Here is the adorable finished product:

GoPro(tato) HD

Just when you think you're fresh out of X-treme activities to justify the purchase of this boundary-pushing camera, a witty Russian comes up with a new one. It should be familiar to anyone who has visited Russian dachas - odd rustic cottages that city-dwellers flock to for R&R and food cultivation.

RETURN TO THE UNDERWORLD FROM WHENCE YOU CAME.

Note: The original version of this post contained inappropriate material that was posted without knowledge of the original context. We regret the error.