Media Activity of Universities in the Southern Federal District: Comparative Study

Abstract

Higher education institutions of the Southern Federal District appeal to new media to promote their services. Although Russian universities are undergoing active digitalization, this process remains largely understudied. This research traced the media activity of ten key universities located in the Southern Federal District that possess the highest local and federal ratings in Russia. The research objective was to identify the best practice of using new media tools by institutions of higher education in this region. The focus was on such digital communication platforms as websites, video hosting, messengers, and social networks. The methods of content analysis, comparative analysis, and classification revealed that universities with the most effective new media have the broadest coverage in the regional information field and are far ahead of their competitors as the academic leaders in their region. The weaknesses and strengths of their communication strategies underwent a quantitative and qualitative analysis, with the focus on the Southern Federal University.