Assessing Atmospheric Air Quality by Social Media Users:  A Case Study of Two Single-Industry Towns

Evgeniy Schekotin; Vitaliy Kashpur; Alina Abbasova

doi:10.21603/vcsn-2026-5-1-75-83

VAK Russia

5.4.4

ASSESSING ATMOSPHERIC AIR QUALITY BY SOCIAL MEDIA USERS: A CASE STUDY OF TWO SINGLE-INDUSTRY TOWNS Assessing Atmospheric Air Quality by Social Media Users: A Case Study of Two Single-Industry Towns

АА Аа

Published in Virtual Communication and Social Networks · Pages 75–83 · Rubric: PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY OF VIRTUAL COMMUNICATION AND SOCIAL NETWORKS

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21603/vcsn-2026-5-1-75-83 · EDN: QDQOWK

Received: 01.12.2025 Accepted: 22.12.2025 Published: 12.02.2026 Language of publication: ENG

Authors

Evgeniy Schekotin

ORCID Scopus SPIN

Vitaliy Kashpur

ORCID Scopus SPIN

Alina Abbasova

Evgeniy Schekotin

Siberian State University of Water Transport Novosibirsk

ORCID Scopus SPIN

Vitaliy Kashpur

Tomsk State University Russian Federation · Tomsk

ORCID Scopus SPIN

Alina Abbasova

Tomsk State University Russian Federation · Tomsk

ABSTRACT

The article explores how digital footprints can be used as a data source revealing citizens’ assessment of the environment. The rapid digitalization in recent years has enabled the use of non-traditional sources of data about the state of environment. These may include social media, search queries, video hosting, and other sources. The use of non-traditional data sources has given rise to new environmental research directions, including "ecological culturomics" and "Internet ecology" (iEcology). Drawing on these methodological approaches, the study examines air quality perceptions among VKontakte users in the single-industry towns of Magnitogorsk and Cherepovets. The semi-automatic search identified 481 air-quality-related posts: 433 in Magnitogorsk and 48 in Cherepovets community discussions. Posts with the highest levels of user engagement were identified through a quantitative analysis of key metrics: reactions, comments, and shares. Confirming our hypothesis, the most popular posts highlight the issues most relevant to users, accurately reflecting their key concerns about air quality. The study reveals a significant dissonance between the official assessments of air quality and the public perception as expressed by social media users. Citizens assess the air quality far less optimistically than the officials do.

KEYWORDS

environmental protection, air quality, Internet ecology, digital footprints, social media

Funding

The study was supported by the Development Program of Tomsk State University (Priority-2030).

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GOST

Schekotin E. V., Kashpur V. V., Abbasova A. A. Assessing Atmospheric Air Quality by Social Media Users: A Case Study of Two Single-Industry Towns // Virtual Communication and Social Networks. 2026. no. 1. pp. 75-83. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21603/vcsn-2026-5-1-75-83. EDN: QDQOWK. (Date of access 10.09.2026).

MLA

Evgeniy Schekotin, Kashpur V. V., Abbasova A. A.. "Assessing Atmospheric Air Quality by Social Media Users: A Case Study of Two Single-Industry Towns." Virtual Communication and Social Networks 5.1 (2026): 75-83. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21603/vcsn-2026-5-1-75-83. EDN: QDQOWK.

APA

Schekotin E. V., Kashpur V. V., Abbasova A. A. (2026). Assessing Atmospheric Air Quality by Social Media Users: A Case Study of Two Single-Industry Towns. Virtual Communication and Social Networks, 5(1), 75-83. https://doi.org/10.21603/vcsn-2026-5-1-75-83 EDN: QDQOWK.

Chicago

Evgeniy Schekotin, Kashpur V. V., Abbasova A. A.. "Assessing Atmospheric Air Quality by Social Media Users: A Case Study of Two Single-Industry Towns." Virtual Communication and Social Networks 5, no. 1 (2026): 75-83. https://doi.org/10.21603/vcsn-2026-5-1-75-83. EDN: QDQOWK.

WIKI

{{cite journal | author = Schekotin E. V., Kashpur V. V., Abbasova A. A. | title = Assessing Atmospheric Air Quality by Social Media Users: A Case Study of Two Single-Industry Towns | journal = Virtual Communication and Social Networks | year = 2026 | volume = 5 | issue = 1 | pages = 75-83 | doi = 10.21603/vcsn-2026-5-1-75-83 }} EDN: QDQOWK

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ASSESSING ATMOSPHERIC AIR QUALITY BY SOCIAL MEDIA USERS: A CASE STUDY OF TWO SINGLE-INDUSTRY TOWNS Assessing Atmospheric Air Quality by Social Media Users: A Case Study of Two Single-Industry Towns

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