Universities’ visual image and Internet communication

¹ Tomsk State University, 634050 Lenin Avenue, 36, Tomsk, Russia
² Tomsk Polytechnic University, 634050 Lenin Avenue, 30, Tomsk, Russia

^a Corresponding author: okushova@mail.ru

Abstract

Universities of the 21st century are built on digital walls and on the Internet foundation. Their “real virtuality” of M. Castells is represented by information and communication flows that reflect various areas: education, research, culture, leisure, and others. The visual image of a university is the bridge that connects its physical and digital reality and identifies it within the information flow on the Internet. Visual image identification on the Internet and the function that the visual image performs as an electronic communication tool lay the foundation for our research. The key focal point of a university’s visual image on the Internet is its official website. Our research shows that with the development of computer technology, the semantic heterogeneity of universities’ visual images has changed from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0. A university’s web portal both reflects and produces its digital life, which is broader and more informative than the physical life alone, as there are no temporal and spatial boundaries in electronic interactions. Polysemy and directed communication through university’s visual images are effective developments for both online and offline communication for the university. The Internet communication reach all spheres of university life and reflect its content. Visual images of universities, based on electronic communication tools, not only “open” them for digital natives and digital immigrants, but also create a cyberspace for scientific and educational discourse.