COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR ASSESSING SOCIAL PROCESSES AT THE REGIONAL LEVEL

Abstract

The estimation of social processes at the regional level plays an important role in the region management, creating an information and analytical base for decisions making and correcting, identifying citizens’ problems and requests. According to the digitalization context, communication and information technologies are becoming core tools for such estimation implementation. They provide both communication and information exchange, and also they are a universal channel for receiving feedback. The purpose of the study is to analyze the applicability of the modern communication and information technologies usage for assessing social processes at the regional level. Based on theoretical analysis, organizational, legal and technological aspects studying of the problem, the authors come to the conclusion that the communication and information technologies usage, social media in particular, for interaction with region public authorities is an actual and effective way to ensure transparency and openness of public authorities to the society, the opportunity to ask questions and express their suggestions and comments, submit appeals and complaints, ensure receiving feedback from citizens on issues, directly related to their life and well-being. However, it is not possible to receive feedback only through official communication channels. In the context of the rapid digital transformation growth and the network society creation, opinions about the activities of regional authorities can also be found in various thematic communities that are not related to the region management. The authors justify the usefulness of communication and information technologies variety usage to estimate social processes at the regional level. The core thesis suggests that hidden knowledge about social processes taking place in communication and information technologies can be obtained through the analysis of the digital footprint of actors. Despite the completeness and reliability of the approach used, its main disadvantages are ambiguity of evaluative vocabulary; difficulty in estimation irony and sarcasm; difficulties with the analysis of the other text (symbolic and graphic images that replace the text); use of vocabulary resources. The practical usage of the obtained data can improve the efficiency of the decision-making process in the region management, organize a public contact between the authorities and the citizenship of the region, identify the most urgent and important problems and their possible solutions, and become an important tool for creating a positive public atmosphere and increasing confidence to the authorities.