Audiences and Communities seem to be opposed notions. The tradition of studying audiences leads to overestimating the significance of variables of individual level and focus on mass publics, while communities research and network analysis let estimating ties and group interdependencies. Thematization of the Internet-resources according to some evidence leads to balkanization of virtual communities and fragmentation of public. Nevertheless such fragmentation cannot be absolute since semantic connections between various topics are of great importance for the Internet audiences, and these discursive ties lead to integration as well as to fragmentation. Analysis and statistic estimation of structure and stability thematic ties may be used in mass surveys and hence it gives possibility of overcoming this methodological opposition.
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Original URL — http://imsconference2002.spbu.ru/02-eng1f18.html |