Abstract
<jats:p>The main purpose of this article is to identify the main factors of revitalization of cultural life in Constantinople in the first decades of the 19th century, and in this context assess the prospects of press development as a factor of preserving identity components and preventing polarization within the community. Here are analyzed the vision of identity preservation reflected in the periodical press, its problems and challenges. An attempt is made to identify the direction adopted by “Hayastan” newspaper published in Constantinople, in the social-political and cultural life of Western Armenians, in this case showing the role of the press as a social institution in community life. It is noteworthy to consider the newspaper attitudes toward community life, emphasizing its impact on identity preservation, reproduction, and strengthening the cultural ties. In this case, the primary role for the community is to find the edges of comparability within the environment in the conditions of integration, avoiding the risk of final assimilation. It is important to state that the analysis of media content enables not only to understand the development of the cultural life of the community, but also to assess the influence of the media in the community, to understand its main functions.</jats:p>