Next-generation universities: the digital evolution of communication

Introduction . The challenges associated with the digital transformation of the university environment are becoming increasingly significant in the current context of the growing prevalence of distance and hybrid learning formats. Aim. The present study aims to analyse students’ digital communication in both formal and informal educational contexts, as well as to identify its thematic and emotional structures based on digital footprints. Methodology and research methods . The research is grounded in systemic and socio-communicative approaches, which enable communication to be understood as a multi-layered socio-pedagogical system. The empirical data comprise over four million messages and comments collected from university online environments, analysed using automated topic and sentiment analysis tools. Methods from digital linguistics, statistical validation, and case study analysis of university communities were employed. Results and scientific novelty . For the first time, this study identifies stable types of digital interaction based on an extensive collection of digital footprints from students at Russian universities. These footprints reflect emotional fluctuations, responses to external events, and characteristics of self-organisation within the networked educational environment. A conceptual model is presented that systematises the levels of university communication – formal, informal, networked, and analytical – as a methodological tool for analysing digital communication. Practical significance . The research findings can be applied to the management of university educational environments, the analysis of academic motivation and students’ emotional states, and the design of monitoring programmes and support systems for students’ digital well-being.