Blogger in youth’s and adults’ social perceptions

Abstract

This article presents the initial results of a comparative empirical study of the specifics of youth’s and adults’ social perceptionsof a blogger’s personality. Currently, blogosphere is showing growth in its popularity, and therefore we can say that the social perceptions (the image) of a blogger as a multi-level socio-psychological media phenomenon is one of the most significant ones in shaping a person’s holistic view of mass media. The study involved students of the Chernyshevsky Saratov National Research State University and adults aged 30-45. The empirical material was collected with the use of associative experiment methods. The data obtained via the survey were processed with the prototypical analysis proposed by P. Verges, and theanalysis of individual conversations and online discussions which helped to control the outcome. The results showed that unlike adults, students evaluate the blogger’s personality mainly in a positive emotional way. The representation of youth's ideas is characterized by concepts with a positive semantic connotation – the blogger is perceived by them as a young man who translates certain meanings and values providing real assistance and realizing various significant functions. Unlike young people, adults demonstrate a contradictory attitude towards bloggers – for them, a blogger seems to be an ambiguous figure pursuing their personal commercial goals.