Moscow Districts’ Telegram Channels: Findings of a Content Analysis Study

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Kristina L. Zuykina

PhD in Philology, Senior Researcher at the Chair of Sociology of Mass Communications, Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia; ORCID 0000-0002-2199-197X

e-mail: kris.zuy@gmail.com
Maria E. Anikina

PhD in Philology, Associate Professor at the Chair of Sociology of Mass Communication, Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia; ORCID 0000-0002-4688-4038

e-mail: maria-anikina@yandex.ru

Section: New Media

This article presents the findings of content analysis studу of urban communication in Moscow districts’ Telegram channels, which are considered as a space of exchange of “local” information, of residing in and feelings of the city, citizens’ everyday practices recorded in the text. The study material consisted of 2,620 posts from 43 selected district channels of the city. November 2021 was chosen as the study period for its relatively “quiet” nature in terms of events in the life of the capital. The main research method was content analysis as it allowed the authors to identify the structural and content characteristics of visual communication in the district Telegram channels. The study findings reveal that the content in the district channels of the city is quite heterogeneous and can present in its format both a classic information message about the news of the area/district/city and messages encouraging discussion, advertisements and announcements. The subject matter of content in Telegram channels is largely determined by the specifics of the city district location. However, three particular topics are common to all the channels: nature, housing and utilities sector and cleaning up and the neighborhood infrastructure.

Keywords: urban communication, hyperlocal media, Telegram channels, content analysis
DOI: 10.30547/vestnik.journ.6.2023.87117

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To cite this article: Zuykina K. L., Anikina M. E. (2023) Rayonnye Telegram-kanaly Moskvy: opyt kontent-analiticheskogo issledovaniya [Moscow Districts’ Telegram Channels: Findings of a Content Analysis Study]. Vestn. Mosk. un-ta. Ser. 10: Zhurnalistika 6: 87–117. DOI: 10.30547/vestnik.journ.6.2023.87117