Impact of information technologies on the development of ecological communication

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the influence of information technologies on the transformation of ecological communication, as well as to the assessment of the ongoing social changes related to the development to ecological / environmental discourse. The paper considers the main stages of technological, social and media changes, and the development of public discourse around the topic of the environment. The author carried out a theoretical analysis of the works of modern researchers (McLuhan, Mansell, Wilson, McChesney, Neuman, Gil-Garcia, Karlsson, Agin, Hase, Hofman, Grimmer, etc.). In the research based on the analysis of the Telegram messenger the author examines the features of ecological communication in the digital age and the role of “big data” in shaping today’s environmental agenda (46 public TG channels related to ecology and environment). Attention is paid to both the content and the degree of demand for certain messages. The author notes that politics gives additional publicity to information, polarization of opinions or a conflict of interests contribute to the popularity of messages, than after attracting the necessary attention of the target audience, communication moves to another level, which is non-public, or secondary. At the end, the author comes to the conclusion that in the modern period “big data” is becoming a navigator that provides a sense of direction in a huge flow of information and events in whatever field of communication.