Laughter Track as a Marker of Distinctions in Media Consumption Patterns Within Diverse Sociocultural Contexts

The article is dedicated to the complex comparative analysis of the use of the laugh track in situation comedies (sitcoms) of the USA and Russia, which is considered from historical, cultural, sociological and psychological perspectives. Particular attention is paid to the evolution of this film device: from its institutionalization within the American television industry in the mid-20th century to the adaptation and critical reception in the Russian media space. It is shown that, in American sitcoms, the laugh track traditionally performs the functions of emotional regulation, social validation, and the formation of a collective viewing effect.In the Russian television tradition, the laugh track is used with less stability and is more often subjected to criticism as an intrusive and excessive device, disrupting the perception of humor, which is characteristic for a high-context culture and based on understatement and implicit forms of the comic. Based on the material from a number of domestic and foreign TV series, cultural attitudes, which determine the viewer`s attitude to laughter accompaniment, are analyzed, and psychological mechanisms of perception are also revealed.The conclusion is made that the laugh track can be regarded as an indicator of profound differences between models of media consumption in various socio-cultural systems, which reflect the specifics of values, methods of communication, and forms of collective experience. The results allow us to refine the understanding of the transformation of the sitcom genre within the Russian context and indicate the significance of further interdisciplinary research of the phenomenon of laughter in mass culture.