The article presents the results of the analysis of the dynamics of online discussions in the public segment of social networks against the daily news background, formed by mass media through the same channel of communication. The theoretical justification of the empirical part of the study is the application of the theories of communicative action (J. Habermas) and social action (M. Weber) to the analysis of the modern field of public communications, which have received a new round of development in the era of the functioning of the network society. Information flows in virtual reality have acquired new characteristics. The authors of the article carry out an empirical analysis using machine learning methods in order to identify the topic clusters of information messages broadcast by mass media. The article points out that the role of mass media in the processes of mass consciousness formation is getting more and more noticeable in the era of post-industrial society, since they are the main suppliers of information occasions. The authors come to the conclusion that the interpretation of events in conjunction with social mood as a new component of the message is a powerful tool that helps to bring the sociocultural landscape to transformation.