A VIRTUAL IMAGE OF AN ARCTIC TOWN (THE CASE STUDY OF SALEKHARD)

About the author:

Anastasia I. Dolgikh, Postgraduate Student, University of Tyumen; dolgix.n@yandex.ru

Abstract:

The paper is concerned with a virtual image of an Arctic town as exemplified by Salekhard. Arctic discourse is extensively researched in contemporary humanities and social studies. The Arctic is being conceptualized as a unique region of circumpolar civilization, and its sustainability is considered a national issue of strategic importance, particularly in terms of the prosperity of Arctic towns, which have received a significant investment to shape their brands and identities. The above-mentioned trends are key to understanding the relevance of the study. However, few Russian researchers have previously dealt with the issues of shaping, preserving, and developing Russian Arctic towns’ unique identity and representation in a virtual space. This paper seeks to contribute to this area of research. Hence, the paper is aimed at identifying key characteristics of an Arctic town’s virtual image as represented by Salekhard, the administrative centre of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug located in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. To explore Salekhard’s virtual image, the author has adopted a contextual analysis of data retrieved from January to June 2022 through parcing the official community of Salekhard’s municipality administration on the social networking service VK (VKontakte) facilitated by VK API. In terms of the study’s findings, the specific components shaping the image of Arctic towns are presented; the notion of ‘a town’s virtual image’ is defined; key topics, most popular hashtags and most frequent lexemes are revealed by means of contextual analysis; evaluative and functional dominants of VK posts that affect Salekhard’s image are identified; building upon this, authentic features of Salekhard as an Arctic town are outlined. In conclusion, emphasis is placed on peculiar features of the representation of Arctic discourse in a virtual space based on the explored data, contextual conditions of shaping, developing and promoting the town’s virtual image, and major components that constitute this image.

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