Digital Footprints in Ecology: Empirical Research

Abstract

In addition to the environmental data (i.e., data that has been produced and collected by professional ecologists to solve certain environmental problems), other sources of open data can be used to study environmental problems. For example, data created by users for other purposes and extracted from social media can be used to study biodiversity, monitor environment and analyze environmental practices. The article represents a summary of such an empirical study that featured messages about air pollution in the city of Cherepovets published in the VKontakte social network. The study covered the period from January 01, 2020, to October 31, 2022. The methodology included the following steps: selecting relevant network communities; uploading and classifying the relevant messages; thematic modeling and content analysis. The sample included 48 messages that introduced the problem of air pollution in Cherepovets. The PolyAnalyst data analysis platform revealed the following most common phrases: polluting substance, atmospheric air, harmful substance, ammonia emission, liquid complex fertilizers, ammonia concentration. The article also contains a list of industrial enterprises mentioned as polluting agents. The results illustrate the opinions of social net users about the quality of air in Cherepovets. It can be concluded that social networks might help monitor the interest in environmental problems, because they shape the environmental agenda ahead of television and other information sources.