Aggression in media users' communication: an analysis of behavioral features and mutual influence

Examining the possibilities of mutual influence of users in new media, the researchers found a high level of aggression and hate speech when discussing an urgent social problem - measures to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. This fact determined both the central topic of the proposed article and the pivotal aspect of the follow-up research. The first chapter of the article is devoted to the characteristics of the prerequisites of the undertaken research and its main features. The subsequent chapters include methodological hallmarks of the study, theoretical substantiation of the concepts of "aggression" and "hate speech" and identification of systemic connections of these concepts with other characteristics of messages. As a consequence, a mathematical model of aggression growth was created and its manageability was analyzed using basic social media strategies. The results can be useful for developing media content in a modern digital environment.