Social Networks as a Tool for a Higher Education Institution Image Creation
This research addresses how universities can manage their online reputation using social media, though it appears incremental in applying existing methods to a specific context.
The study analyzed social network usage trends and their role in shaping the image of higher education institutions, presenting statistical data on user engagement and the risks of astroturfing for negative image creation.
The article presents the dynamics of social networks users increase, depending on the total world population from 2010 to 2018. It also identifies the most popular social networks in Ukraine. The systematic risk indicator of using social networks relative to the total number of Internet resources users is determined. Types of social intercourse in the process of the higher education institution image creation are presented. The peculiarities of using social networks in the formation of a positive image of an educational institution are highlighted. The statistical indicators of user actions in the official group of the Faculty of Mathematics and Information Technologies of Vasyl Stus Donetsk National University in January, February and March 2019 are presented, as well as the average attraction coefficient of users depending on the subject of publications. The main technologies of astroturfing in the creation process of the higher education institution negative image are considered.