SPATIAL PECULIARITIES OF FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM SOCIAL NETWORKING SERVICES DISTRIBUTION IN CHERNIVETSKA OBLAST

Abstract

Problem Statement and Purpose. Social networking services (SNS) are a modern phenomenon in the field of human relations. As differentiated from western science, the issue of SNS spatial distribution is not a matter of high concern in Ukrainian researchers because of a number of objective and subjective reasons. It makes rele­vant this research. The purpose of this research is to identify the features of spatial differentiation of social networking services in Chernivetska oblast. The main task of the work is to analyze the spatial distribution of the number of users and the level of penetration of social networking services Facebook and Instagram by administrative districts and cities of oblast subordination of Chernivetska region.Data & Methods. There are some difficulties with the collection of primary statistical information regarding users of social networking services. To determine the number of Facebook and Instagram users, we used the targeting function – an advertising mechanism that allows to exclude only a portion of target audience that matches same criteria. The criterion we chose was the coverage of the territory. Primary statistics data of the number of social networking service users on the research territory were collected in the first half of February 2020.Results. Facebook is the most popular SNS in Chernivetska oblast. There is a trend to­wards concentration of users' accounts in big cities. 81.6% of accounts are concentrat­ed in Chernivtsі City which is also the regional center. Vyzhnytskyi, Kelmenetskyi, Khotynskyi districts are distinguished among the districts. Facebook is the least used in Putylskyi, Hertsaivskyi districts. The penetration rate of the social networking ser­vice Facebook in Chernivetska oblast is 32.9%. The highest level is in cities of region subordination Chernivtsі, Novodnistrovsk. High levels of penetration are achieved due to the high development of technical infrastructure, through the companies' and shops' accounts, as well as accounts of residents from surrounding villages. In ad­ministrative districts, the penetration rate is much lower. A relatively high percentage of users are in Vyzhnytskyi, Kelmenetskyi, Sokyrianskyi, Khotynskyi districts. The lowest level of penetration of the SNS is in Putylskyi, Hertsaivskyi districts. The second most popular social networking service in Chernivetska oblast is Instagram (28.6% penetration rate). In terms of development, it is inferior to Facebook, and its main users are mostly young people. In the spatial distribution of Instagram users, we can trace the same trends as the Facebook. In general, the distribution of social net­working services such as Facebook and Instagram in Chernivetska oblast corresponds to a hierarchical model of spatial diffusion. There is a trend towards concentration of users in big cities.