Specifics of online communication of students with the university in social networks and messengers

Abstract

The article proposes a methodology for analyzing the features of communication between the university and subscribers by the example of considering the communities of P. G. Demidov Yaroslavl State University. The main methods of analysis are: content analysis, event analysis, index analysis and case study. This toolkit made it possible to develop a classification of publications posted in student communities by form and content, to identify the correlation of these characteristics, as well as to determine the most frequently used and interesting format for subscribers to submit information in online communities, to establish the level of subscribers' involvement in the functioning of online platforms. The subject of the study was posts in 3 communities on the Vkontakte social network and in one telegram channel, posted in March-April and July-August 2022. As a result, it is concluded that the telegram channel is the most active in terms of the number of publications, however, it does not contribute to user engagement. The channel is mainly news in nature. In online groups of general orientation, user engagement is lower compared to self-organized activist groups ("Students' Union"and "Students' Trade Union Organization"). Taking into account the specifics of the popularity of certain forms of publications and their contents, as well as the most appropriate time periods for promoting and presenting information, can help in attracting new users and subscribers' interest in the activities of the online community.