Trigger Agendas of Network Communications in Resource-Based Regions

Today, digital environment often shapes public sentiment, even in local communities. In regions with recourse-based economies, network communications have become a major platform for public discontent. Users from the local community tend to cluster their opinions around sensitive issues. Trigger topics usually include the local economy, ecology, transportation, and urban infrastructure. As a result, they affect the local socio-political communication. The article describes the circulation of trigger agendas in the digital environment associated with mining regions, both in the Russian Federation and abroad. The qualitative case analysis made it possible to reconstruct the development logic of trigger situations and determine their digital spread rate factors. Based on domestic and international case studies, the authors revealed general patterns in the emergence of trigger situations and identified the factors that amplified their resonance in social media. Local trigger agendas were classified based on their relevance period, audience coverage, and substantive focus. While serving as indicators of public sentiment, local trigger agendas pose a risk to stable social communication if they receive no institutional response. The research results may be used to develop effective tools for monitoring network communications and preventing social tensions in local communities.