History of the Chelyabinsk region on the pages of the internet encyclopedia «Wikipedia» as one of the elements of the region’s virtual image in the modern internet space

The article attempts to analyze some features of the formation of virtual images of the Chelyabinsk region on the pages of one of the largest modern Internet encyclopedias. Particular attention is paid to the ratio of visual and textual content in the corresponding articles of the encyclopedia. A conclusion is made about the traditional and secondary nature of those images of the Chelyabinsk region which users of the encyclopedia obtain when they read the materials of the articles dedicated to the history of the Chelyabinsk region. Among the key virtual images of the region constructed by users of this resource, the following are highlighted: the image of an industrial region whose history is inextricably linked with the history of military conflicts and military production; the image of a border region located on the border of Europe and Asia (with the corresponding specifics of the geographical and cultural environment); a sports region whose most famous achievements are related to winter sports. Particularly noted is the fragmentation and dynamism of virtual images of the Chelyabinsk region, which can be formed by users of the Internet encyclopedia «Wikipedia».