«PHENOMENON EFFECT»: WHATSAPP MESSENGER FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF MASS MEDIA

The article considers the reflection in media materials the spread of the WhatsApp messenger (owned by the extremist and banned Meta company recognized in the territory of the Russian Federation) in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), one of the largest regions of Russia, is considered. A significant part of Yakutia is located in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. The republic is characterized by long distances, the remoteness of regional centers from other settlements in municipalities. Despite the fact that the authorities of the republic pay considerable attention to digitalization issues, Yakutia remains a region where Internet access is uneven due to the high cost of its connection: in villages, the use of an information telecommunication network is possible only in administrative buildings, schools, libraries. The only available alternative in these circumstances is to use a mobile Internet access point. Based on this, WhatsApp has become the main means of interaction on the Internet for Yakut residents living in the districts. Through content analysis of media publications, the special significance of the application for the Yakut society is fixed: residents of the republic communicate and work en masse via messenger. It is also worth noting that Yakutia is considered in the media as the first region with such a wide spread of WhatsApp among the population. The media explain this popularity, which distinguishes the Yakutia case from other regions of the Russian Federation, by the fact that, in addition to communication, it is also used to solve utilitarian tasks: to find, sell, buy, etc. Therefore, it is proposed to consider WhatsApp in Yakutia as a full-fledged replacement for new media (websites and social networks). The author focuses on how the messages widely discussed in Yakut groups affect the socio-political situation in the region. This naturally attracts the attention of the authorities and law enforcement agencies. The importance of the messenger's role in Yakutia and the impact of its online space on offline life requires further study.