CONSPIRACY THEORIES AS A PHENOMENON OF MEDIA IMPACT ON PUBLIC CONSCIOUSNESS

2020 ◽  
pp. 94-102
Author(s):  
Andrei A. Khokhlov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Conspiracy Theory ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Media Impact ◽  
Modern Media ◽  
The Social ◽  
Public Consciousness ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Official Information ◽  
Alternative Theories

The article deals with the issue of spreading conspiratorial ideas in social networks and in the media, in connection with the COVID19 epidemic in the Russian Federation. A brief overview of the most well-known scientific approaches to the study of non-conventional concepts and various “conspiracy theories” is given. Special attention is paid to the connection of the conspiracy theories with postmodern ideas and a critical attitude to any official information from authoritative sources. It is emphasized that the equality of statements, that was insisted on by the supporters of postmodernism, leads to an increase in information noise and blurring the boundaries between fact and fiction. Modern conspiracy theory is the audience’s reaction to alarmism in official media publications. The author denotes an increase in such perceptions in the context of the crises, catastrophes and epidemics. An attempt is made to identify typical conspiracy versions for the causes of the coronavirus epidemic in the Russian segment of the social network Facebook. The article examines the fact of the growing popularity of “alternative theories” in the context of social fears of Russians, in connection with the deepening economic crisis and the prospect of losing their jobs. The growth of conspiracy ideas is analyzed in connection with the phenomenon of media influence on public consciousness. The functions of modern media are determined by the gradual replacement of the social reality of media with a reality that replicates simulacra, and is not only engaged in informing The article states that the influence of media materials on consumers of the news content is quite strong, which is one of the reasons for the spread of conspiracy theories in various groups and communities of media users.

Remarks on conspiracy theory entrepreneurs

Diogenes ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 039219212094560
Author(s):  
Véronique Campion-Vincent
Keyword(s):  
Conspiracy Theory ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Universe

This note presents an outline of the social and intellectual conditions accounting for the rise of “conspiracy entrepreneurs”, that is these heterodox thinkers who make a living from their denunciations and revelations on the malevolent organisations and characters who really lead the universe. A special attention has been focused on the reports concerning conspiracy entrepreneurs in the media, which describe them as eccentric and thus entertaining. After the presentation of some studies of David Icke's reptilian hypothesis, a question is raised: is it not legitimate to assert that academics studying conspiracy theories are themselves conspiracy entrepreneurs through their role in the spread of the subject of their studies.

scholarly journals Conspiracy Theories and Their Societal Effects During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 194855062110002
Author(s):  
Lotte Pummerer ◽  
Robert Böhm ◽  
Lau Lilleholt ◽  
Kevin Winter ◽  
Ingo Zettler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Random Sample ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
Conspiracy Theory ◽  
Sample Survey ◽  
Institutional Trust ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
The Media ◽  
And Behavior

During COVID-19, conspiracy theories were intensely discussed in the media. Generally, both believing in conspiracy theories (i.e., explanations for events based on powerholders’ secret arrangements) and being confronted with a conspiracy theory have been found to predict cognition and behavior with negative societal effects, such as low institutional trust. Accordingly, believing in conspiracy theories around COVID-19 should reduce institutional trust, support of governmental regulations and their adoption, and social engagement (e.g., helping members of risk groups). We tested these predictions in a national random sample survey, an experiment, and a longitudinal study ( N total = 1,213; all studies were preregistered). Indeed, believing in and being confronted with a COVID-19 conspiracy theory decreased institutional trust, support of governmental regulations, adoption of physical distancing, and—to some extent—social engagement. Findings underscore the severe societal effects of conspiracy theories in the context of COVID-19.

scholarly journals Salisbury tragedy: the news of the week’s narrative of Skripal case

2019 ◽  
Vol 69 ◽  
pp. 00130
Author(s):  
Irina Volkova ◽  
Leila Algavi ◽  
Shuanat Kadyrova ◽  
Natalya Rastorgueva
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Research Group ◽  
International Research ◽  
Television Program ◽  
Media Impact ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
International Research Group ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Media

This paper is the second part in the series of studies into the media impact on the transformation of the social and cultural structures in which societies operate. The authors (International Research Group KVAR) describe the results of a quantitative and qualitative analysis of transcripts of twenty-seven episodes of the “Vesti Nedeli” television program (Rossiya 1, 2018) depicting the mysterious poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal. The aim of this study is to find out in what way the journalists of “Vesti Nedeli” narrate and interpret the events in Salisbury. Based on C. Booker‘ classification, the authors explore the specific traits of the story plot about the Skripals case. The analysis leads to the conclusion that it is not the Skripals who are at the center of the narration but the United Kingdom and its attitude to Russia. The study identifies the narrative force drivers and the main actors and their subject-object roles: this is one of seven basic plots.

scholarly journals The Russian language functioning outside Russia: specifics of using the «national» type of language

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (26) ◽  
pp. 101-106
Author(s):  
Mariya E. Avakyan ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Social Institution ◽  
Russian Language ◽  
National Language ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Russian Language

The article examines functioning of the Russian language outside the Russian Federation: the peculiarities of the «national» Russian language in the Republic of Armenia, the concept of this term itself, the significance of using Russian in the media, overlapping national features. The main characteristics of the «national» Russian language outside Russia are considered to be as follows: the language is seen as an «advocate» of necessary national ideas and a real opportunity to transmit national ideas, thoughts, messages and information in a language of international communication. The development of the social institution of the «national language» in the future will largely determine the preservation of national cultural, educational as well as political and economic unity with Russia. We should not forget that professional journalistic activity is, first and foremost, a verbal activity. And the professional culture of journalists depends on how well they master the language. The linguistic features of the Russian-language media in Armenia present a rather broad spectrum of issues possible and relevant for consideration. The national variant is a certain form of adapting the classical literary language to the traditions and cultural values, to the urgent needs of a particular nation, thus becoming a special form of functioning of the language common for the nation.

‘Trust no one’: Modernization, paranoia and conspiracy culture

2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stef Aupers
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Swine Flu ◽  
The West ◽  
Cultural Logic ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Flu Vaccination ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Media ◽  
Knowledge Claims

Popular conspiracy theories, like those about JFK, the attacks of 9/11, the death of Princess Diana or the swine flu vaccination, are generally depicted in the social sciences as pathological, irrational and, essentially, anti-modern. In this contribution it is instead argued that conspiracy culture is a radical and generalized manifestation of distrust that is embedded in the cultural logic of modernity and, ultimately, produced by processes of modernization. In particular, epistemological doubts about the validity of scientific knowledge claims, ontological insecurity about rationalized social systems like the state, multinationals and the media; and a relentless ‘will to believe’ in a disenchanted world – already acknowledged by Adorno, Durkheim, Marx and Weber – nowadays motivate a massive turn to conspiracy culture in the West.

Tackling “conspiracy” theories after the January 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris

Diogenes ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 039219212092453
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Kreis
Keyword(s):  
Terrorist Attack ◽  
Conspiracy Theory ◽  
Terrorist Attacks ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Broad Application ◽  
The Media ◽  
Charlie Hebdo

The terrorist attack against the satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo and the subsequent hostage-taking in the kosher supermarket in Paris on the 7th and 9th January 2015 profoundly shocked the French public. The term ‘conspiracy theory’ very rapidly came to be used in the media to account for accusations of a ‘false flag operation’ and for the circulation of doubts concerning certain details relating to these events. The use of the term ‘conspiracy theory’ in these contexts seemed to show up an extremely broad application of it, an application, which, in some cases, was accompanied by a rather impassioned approach to the events and one not always free from ideological presuppositions which aligned phenomena which, even though linkages between them could be shown, should more properly be distinguished one from another. This article proposes to examine the media and institutional applications of this term during the episode of the ‘anti-conspiracy theory panic’, which followed upon the Paris incidents. This study will permit the very notion of ‘conspiracy theory’ to be brought into question, both on the level of definition and from a heuristic perspective.

scholarly journals THE ACTIVITIES OF THE INTERNAL AFFAIRS DIRECTORATE IN EMERGENCIES AS A FACTOR IN THE FORMATION OF PUBLIC OPINION ABOUT THE POLICE

2022 ◽  
pp. 122-128
Author(s):  
Андрей Петрович Тюнь
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
The Public ◽  
Professional Activities ◽  
The Social ◽  
Public Consciousness ◽  
Law Enforcement Officials ◽  
The Media

В статье рассматриваются основные принципы формирования и трансформации общественного мнения о полиции в гражданской среде, связанные с участием сотрудников правоохранительных органов в мероприятиях, направленных на предотвращение негативных последствий чрезвычайных ситуаций. Рассматриваются объективные риски, возникающие вследствие некорректной трактовки служебных действий сотрудников правоохранительных органов представителями гражданской сферы в условиях ограничения их возможностей с целью минимизации ущерба от чрезвычайной ситуации. Отмечается, что в условиях действия ограничительных мер на период объявления чрезвычайной ситуации усиливается негативное восприятие деятельности сотрудников органов внутренних дел. Оцениваются перспективы, связанные с улучшением социального восприятия полиции в результате освещения самоотверженности и высоких личных качеств сотрудников полиции, с риском для жизни и здоровья участвующих в борьбе с последствиями чрезвычайной ситуации и в спасении гражданского населения. Делается вывод о необходимости использования средств массовой информации как инструмента формирования общественного мнения в целях объективного отражения в общественном сознании россиян профессиональной деятельности работников правоохранительной системы. The paper examines the principles of the formation and transformation of public opinion about the police in the civilian environment, associated with the participation of law enforcement officers in measures aimed at preventing the negative consequences of emergencies. The publication considers the risks associated with the incorrect interpretation of the official actions of law enforcement officials by representatives of the civilian sphere in the context of limiting their capabilities in order to minimize damage from an emergency. The author evaluates the prospects related to improving the social perception of the police through highlighting the disregard of self and high personal qualities of police officers at risk to life and health of those involved in combating the consequences of an emergency and rescuing the civilian population. It is concluded that the media should be used as an instrument for the formation of public opinion in order to objectively reflect the professional activities of law enforcement officials in the public consciousness of Russians.

scholarly journals Russia's Media Image in Chinese Internet Memes

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-55
Author(s):  
Zheng Qian ◽  
Galina Melnik
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Content ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Media Image ◽  
Internet Culture ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Vladimir Putin ◽  
The Impact

The topic of the article is relevant due to the fact that, being fragments of Internet culture, Internet memes are created by users, combining their own ideas, behavior and performance in the Web 2.0 environment. The aim of the article is to identify Internet memes on Chinese information resources, depicting the image of Russia and its leader with the help of figurative and at the same time economical means, to determine the functions these memes perform, as well as the impact potential of memes. The objectives of the study include identifying the range of themes and issues for memes, their semantic content, tone, and means of expression. Тhe objectives also include the correlation of scientific approaches with the analysis of the phenomenon and the practical implementation of political memes, as well as showing the transformation of the media image of the country in different periods: from the USSR to the Russian Federation with the help of comparative analysis. The objectives also include identifying potential threats to the national identity of Russians. The examples were collected using the hashtags "Russia", "USSR" and "Putin" in the social network Sina Weibo and in the application Wechat, and also in the browser Baidu. The novelty of research is in the fact that the authors are not limited to the psycholinguistic tools of the study of Internet memes, but focus on the study of the structure of the created political images of Russia and on the functions they perform. The authors are interested in the creators of minimized texts, as well as in the ways memes spread. More than 100 memes became the basis for the study. Conclusions: a trend in the establishment of friendly relations between China and Russia has been identified. Memes depict generally positive experience of Russia and Vladimir Putin.

scholarly journals Pussy Riot’s humour and the social media: Self-irony, subversion, and solidarity

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Berenice Pahl
Keyword(s):  
New Media ◽  
Motivating Factors ◽  
Media Impact ◽  
Pussy Riot ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Media ◽  
Aesthetic Principle ◽  
The One ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Politically Active

This paper seeks to demonstrate that both the media impact and political success of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot rest on their use of new media, on the one hand, and on an aesthetic principle of humour, on the other, or, more specifically, on a kind of humour that is both self-reflexive and subversive. Pussy Riot operate through a style of guerrilla communication that re-signifies signs and symbols for their own purpose in a self-ironical, comical manner. I will indicate the contradictions and ambiguities of various interpretive frameworks – which not only create humour but are particularly motivating factors in the (personal) decision to become politically active. The speed with which one can communicate within social networks made it possible that infectious laughter about the absurdity of the events in Moscow was able to spread so rapidly. Reassurance and the community’s solidarity were closely connected to the fun and joy of the individual internet user.

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