The Saami webcommunities in the eyes of moderators (on the example of “VKontakte” social network)

The article discusses the problem of moderation of ethnic network communities on the example of the Sami virtual groups “VKontakte”. An expert survey was conducted with moderators of webcommunities, on the basis of which the goals of creating groups, their main functions and prospects for further development were determined. According to the interviewed moderators, the priority goal of creating these groups is to unite representatives of the Sami people on a single, albeit virtual platform, within which certain individual and collective interests can be realized (searching for like-minded people, gaining knowledge, a sense of common ethnicity, etc.). Among the main functions of the Sami webcommunities, the moderators single out those that are inherent in such virtual ethnic associations: communicative, integrative, information-cognitive, entertainment and a number of others. The moderators consider the most important topics for dissemination to such topics as the preservation of the Sami language and culture (including a significant part of the content related to material culture), environmental problems and traditional crafts. At the same time, it is noted that the greatest response from the audience of these groups is received by posts devoted to art, entertainment and everyday life topics. Moderators carefully monitor the thematic focus of the content and try to avoid various “sensitive” topics and discussions, especially those related to politics. The audience of the Sami online communities is assessed by the moderators as conflict-free, but at the same time not active enough. In general, the moderators highly appreciate the technological capabilities of social networks for disseminating relevant information, establishing contacts, self-presentation, socializing Sami youth, broadcasting their culture and expressing ethnic identity.