USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKS IN THE ACTIVITIES OF UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENTS
In connection with the increased competition associated with a decrease in the enrollment target figures, especially in provincial universities between structural units (departments, faculties, institutes), the “struggle” for applicants and for students has intensified. In such a situation, it is necessary to develop additional ways to draw attention to the activities of the designated structural units. Among the large number of tools, social networks are one of the most effective. The presentation of information through social networks is positively perceived by young people, which is due to the peculiarities of their thinking. In addition, social networks allow you to expand your audience in a relatively short time, attracting different categories of subscribers interested in certain educational content. Social networks have a wide variety of means of influence and potential opportunities. At present, considerable practical experience has been accumulated in the use of social networks in the activities of business sector entities, as they involve professional specialists in maintaining accounts, which makes it possible to use the entire arsenal of social networking tools and comprehensively cover their activities. At the same time, the practice of using this direction in the activities of educational institutions is presented much more modestly. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the theoretical understanding of the current practice of using social networks in general, and in the activities of educational institutions and their structural divisions (departments, faculties, institutes) in particular.