A Comparative Analysis of the Countries' Images in the Russian and Taiwanese Online Communities

Abstract

The core of the article is the results of the first transnational and interdisciplinary Russian-Taiwanese research project on the themes of national identity and online image of the countries. To obtain presents in the article results of the Russian and Taiwanese researchers have developed their own methodology for the analysis of unstructured textual information. Russian researchers used a method of constructing a mental model, network and cluster analysis, and the method of sentiment analysis. Taiwanese scientists were used for analyses of text arrays latent Dirichlet distribution (LDA) and the method of sentiment analysis. The object of the analysis was the statements (comments, posts) members of online communities of Russia and Taiwan. The results obtained allowed to identify a comparable subject, leading concepts that directly affect the formation of online image of the country among the participants, who discussed the events associated with the image of their own country (Russia, Taiwan), as well as neighboring countries such as China, Japan. Identified themes related to the discussion of the interaction of their own country with the leading countries of the West and the Pacific, territorial disputes, the prospects of cooperation, trade, export opportunities, as well as regional development, technology development and partnership.The analysis of text information in the Internet community for several years has enabled us to determine the temporal dynamics of the image of the country, to determine the sustainable theme, constantly discussed and considered in the study as "core" online image of the country in discussions of the Internet users. Were the permanent key concepts of "core elements" and the dynamics of changes in their tone (emotional coloring).