ASSESSMENT OF AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT INDICES ON OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT PAGES (USING THE EXAMPLE OF PUBLIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE MINISTRY OF EMERGENCY SITUATIONS OF RUSSIA)

This article is devoted to an empirical analysis of the audience engagement and visibility indices of the official VKontakte public pages of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia (the Moscow Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the St. Petersburg Ministry of Emergency Situations, and the Sevastopol Ministry of Emergency Situations). The study covers the period from September 1, 2024, to September 1, 2025, focusing on the following metrics: subscriber count, post volume, views, likes, reposts, and comments. The Moscow public page with the largest audience shows low engagement rates with high reach, while the St. Petersburg and Sevastopol communities demonstrate higher values with noticeable comment activity. In the capital's metropolis, «interest blurring» prevails due to the presence of «information noise» and cognitive overload, which reduce the conversion of reach into reactions. Smaller communities demonstrate focused loyalty with high-quality interactions in a less saturated media environment. The dichotomy of large and small government public pages illustrates the paradox of platforms: audience heterogeneity weakens connections, small groups accumulate social capital through trust and feedback, and high visibility in public pages in St. Petersburg and Sevastopol is due to the prevalence of targeted interest with less competition. The presented results emphasize the need for flexible content approaches for government agencies – personalization, an emphasis on loyalty, and a reduction in «information noise». Theoretically, the study, according to the author, enriches the theory of the digital public sphere and, practically, the strategy of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations in social media and similar structures in a hyperconnected environment.