Information Retrieval and Analysis of Digital Conflictogenic Zones by Social Media Data

Abstract

The paper is concerned with information retrieval and analysis of digital conflictogenic zones based on social media data reflecting the users’ perception of road construction in Moscow. The material for the study was data from social networks, microblogs, blogs, instant messengers, videos, forums, and reviews dedicated to the construction of the South-East, North-East, and North-West Chords in Moscow. The study involved a transdisciplinary approach, neural network text analysis, content analysis, sentiment analysis, and analysis of word associations. The study made it possible to draw conclusions about the extremely tense situation around the construction of the South-East Chord. The level of aggression and social stress is quite high and approaching a critical point, and allows predicting further escalation of the conflict in the online and offline space. The construction of the North-East Chord causes some tension among the city residents and makes it possible to predict the development of a conflict in the virtual environment. The implementation of the North-West Chord project does not bear any special risks.