Geographical analysis of the representation of the image of the north caucasus in social media

Abstract

The paper substantiates the relevance of studying the image of the territory in social media using modern online technologies. The main specific features of social media that directly or indirectly affect the methodology and results of the analysis of images of the territory are identified. The comparative analysis allowed us to determine the information and analytical system for monitoring social media that is most adequate to research tasks. The information base of the study was compiled by the author's database, formed on the basis of social media monitoring of the information and analytical system Medialogia for the period from June 1 to August 30, 2019. The study revealed the socio-demographic characteristics of users, the geography and context of messages about the North Caucasus published in social networks. The most popular subjects of the North Caucasus Federal district in social media were identified, and the sites where the North Caucasus macroregion is most often mentioned were identified. A variety of cartographic material is presented, reflecting quantitative differences in the degree of information representation of individual territories of the North Caucasus in the regions of Russia and its tone. The obtained data indicate the predominance of a negative tone in the perception of the North Caucasus territories and the dominance of negative features in its image. The mental representation of the North Caucasus is formed under the influence of the “information pressure” of two regions - Dagestan and Chechnya, with which the entire North Caucasus is associated, in most cases, significant relationships Between the perception of territories and the geographical parameters of places of concentration of social media users could not be established. There is a certain relationship between distance, fame and the level of positivity of the image