Urban codes in the reflection of urban media reality

INTRODUCTION. The work is aimed at studying the mechanisms of constructing modern urban identity through the prism of the interaction of material and digital semiotic systems. The research is aimed at applying Lotman’s methodology to analyze the role of semiotic urban codes of Rostovon- Don in the formation of its media image in the digital age. A system tool (table) is proposed for analyzing the interaction of historical and modern urban codes in the media space.
MATERIALS AND METHODS. The semiotic approach of Yu.M. Lotman is applied, with the help of which the city is presented as a “dynamic semiosphere”, where conflict and hybridization of codes form new levels of representation of urban space. Using the materials of the urban media of Rostov-on-Don as an example, the article analyzes how historical and modern urban codes interact and transform in the media space today.
RESULTS OF THE STUDY. A systematic approach to identifying the specifics of historical and modern urban codes that shape the rethinking of urban identity is presented. The study showed that the semiosphere of the city is structured through the dialectical interaction of historical and modern codes, where the former (architectural monuments, traditional practices, linguistic markers) serve as stabilizing elements of the cultural landscape, and the latter (modern architectural complexes, digital communications, new economic models) act as dynamic factors of transformation.
CONCLUSION. The study demonstrated that media reality does not just reflect the city, but becomes an instrument of government, communities and individual users in the struggle for the meanings of the urban environment. The work contributes to the discussion on the transformation of urban semiotics in the context of digitalization and provides a methodological framework for analyzing similar processes in other post-Soviet cities.