The cultural code of Rostov-on-Don in the minds of the media audience

INTRODUCTION . The study is addressed to the cultural code as a modern mechanism for the formation of a value system in the media. The aim of the study was to determine the cultural code of the city of Rostov-on-Don, which is formed by regional media, as well as to identify a number of concepts of the cultural code that have become entrenched in the consciousness of society. MATERIALS AND METHODS . In the course of the analysis of the question posed, the following research methods were used: description, systematization, survey. The empirical base of the study was formed by regional Internet media: 161.ru, Rostovgazeta.ru, Donday.ru, Rostov.rbc.ru and Donnews.ru. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION . The work systematizes scientific research in the field of understanding the term “cultural code”, and also formulates the main elements of the cultural code, on the basis of which the authors characterize the “cultural code” as a set of stereotypes in the consciousness of a group of people formed under the influence of a certain culture, which is a single complex of concepts and meanings that help a person to identify each other within a certain territory; a survey of the audience of the media of the Rostov region was conducted, as a result of which the main characteristics of the cultural code of Rostov-on-Don in the understanding of the city’s residents were determined; the content of regional media that forms the cultural code of the city was analyzed; using a comparative method, the elements of the cultural code that exist in the minds of the audience and those broadcast by the media were compared. CONCLUSION . The survey showed that 80 % of respondents believe that Rostov-on-Don needs to adjust or update its cultural code. The results of the study may be useful for further study of the dynamics of cultural changes and their reflection in the regional media space.