Perspectives on studying the citizens’ emotion management in a smart city: a sociological discourse

Abstract

The concept of a «smart city» is becoming increasingly relevant due to the growing digitalization of urban social processes. The affective turn in sociology has revealed the possibility of studying the aspects of interactions between the managing and managed subsystems of the «smart city» from a new perspective, allowing us to consider the «smart city» more anthropocentric and increase the level of qualitative research. The study’s relevance comes from the rising interest in exploring emotions in «smart cities» and the prospective investigation of digital processes from a meta-subjective psychological and sociological approach, demanding a more detailed consideration and immersion. The article aims to identify the perspectives of studying the citizens’ emotions while managing a «smart city» in the sociological dimension. The research methodology involves the analysis of secondary data with the application of sociological theories and the identification of prospects for the development of «emotional management»; the synthesis of existing studies of Russian and foreign sociologists; and the evaluation of the current contribution of practical research in the field of urban sociology and sociology of emotions. The author had concluded that the study of emotions in cities is a prospective issue, and sociological research conducted with an emotional component has great relevance in the paradigm of the anthropocentric «smart city» for Generation 3.0.