The role of social networks in the formation of collective behaviour and a
sustainable point of view/position regarding the information events or facts is
studied herein. The purpose of the study is to analyse the reaction of the users of
popular social networks, expressed in quotations and responses to the messages
of mass media resources. A statistical measure of interest in the media news is
identified through unique messages from queries on the topic. The approach
used is aimed at improving the scientific argumentation on the assumption of a
direct relationship between these phenomena. The empirical evaluation is carried
out according to the data obtained from the Russian segment of social networks.
The trends in the distribution of media content in social media and social networks
are revealed using structural and correlation analysis. It is determined that the
publications in online media correlate directly with the activities of social networks
and are caused by the release of one or another information event. The results of
the study also convincingly point out that the importance of the media resources,
expanding due to the integration of social networks, increases, while the classical
model of online media (media edition as own website) is gradually losing
popularity and audience.