SOCIAL NETWORKS AS A TOOL FOR THE FORMATION OF NATIONAL IDENTITY (BASED ON «VKONTAKTE», «FACEBOOK»)

Objective: analysis of the content of the communities (public) of the social networks «VKontakte» and «Facebook», thematically related to the formation of a national and / or narrow ethnic identity. Model: the most popular publics of a neutral-political as well as nationalist orientation are investigated. Conclusions: Social networks have significant integration potential; individuals unfamiliar with each other come together through online communication, and as a result, online communities replace traditional civil society institutions. Identity plays a role in the formation of social networks, but also itself is formed under their influence. The practical significance and scope of the study: on the example of the social networks «VKontakte» and «Facebook» the symbolism of communities, the direction of materials and comments were studied, the analysis of Internet queries in search engines on the problems of national identity, which indicates an increase in interest in this topic. Originality / value: this work is intended for professionals involved in the study of problems of identity formation.

information society, virtual space, identification, identity construction, civic identity, network communities