Characteristics of modern social communications and analysis of their transformation trends

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Characteristics of modern social communications and analysis of their transformation trends

Kyianytsia levgeniia

PhD in Social Communications,

Associate Professor at the Department of Journalism and Advertising

State University of Trade and Economics

Bogatyrova Kateryna

Candidate of Philological Sciences,

Associate Professor at the Department of Foreign Philology and Translation State University of Trade and Economics

Summary

Key words: community, social communications, interaction, information, environment, interpersonal relations.

Файвішенко Діана Сергіївна

Анотація. У XXI столітті засоби масової інформації та комунікації стали основним засобом впливу на суспільство. Сьогодні поступово формується нова ефективніша система відносин на рівні окремих спільнот. Актуальність обраної теми полягає в тому, що наразі формуються і поширюються особливі умонастрої та світовідчуття, які втілені в різних філософських, соціологічних і культурологічних теоріях, які відображають особливості «інформаційного суспільства».

У статті розглянуті основні характеристики сучасних соціальних комунікацій та проаналізовані тенденцій їх трансформації у сучасному суспільстві. Вказано, що засоби масової інформації та комунікації можуть сприяти як розвитку індивідів і спільнот та створювати стійкі міжособистісні зв'язки, так і руйнувати суспільні цінності.

Ключові слова: спільнота, соціальні комунікації, взаємодія, інформація, середовище, міжособистісні відносини.

Файвишенко Диана Сергеевна

Statement of the issue

The current state of civilization reflects the complexity of the system of relations between individuals and entire communities, which acquire the characteristics of a social organism, whose internal unity is realized through appropriate social communications. Modern society separates communication and interaction communication, but does not exclude such unifying factors as the transfer of information, the exchange of emotions, the transmission of experiences, social transformation as all these factors should be objective. Today, society is facing the need to form a new, more effective system of relations and processes that are considered at the level of both individual communities and society as a whole. The process of transformation is impossible without the transfer and implementation of information, which plays a huge role. Media and communication are the main channels of influence on society. When we study an object or process, its structure is transformed into information. On the other hand, information is changed into the structure of things by an individual. Thus, we need more information to study developed society.

The analysis of recent researches and publications

Domestic and foreign scientists V. Smetana [1], Z. Chetverikov [2], V. Ivanov [3], V. Volovych [4], T. Myskevych [5], D. Kanev, V. Terziev [6] develop theoretical and methodological provisions of characteristics of modern social communications and analysis of their transformation trends.

The purpose of the article

Conceptual analysis of the process characteristics of modern social communications, analysis of their transformation trends.

The overview of the main material (the results of the researches)

Scientific and technological progress of the XX century has created the preconditions for global spread of mass media, a fundamentally new phenomenon compared to previous types of communication structures and processes, which significantly changes modern socio-cultural reality. We mean the formation and dissemination of a special type of mentality and worldview, actualized in a number of philosophical, sociological and cultural theories that have gained wide popularity under the general name “information society”.

Today, information technologies that provide communication in general are not be considered as something that belongs exclusively to the world of technology, because they have penetrated so deeply into people's lives that it is impossible to distinguish them from the general worldview and cultural context.

Western culturologists, philosophers and sociologists, psychologists devoted their lives to the study of communications, especially social communications sixty years ago. Now highly developed countries are entering upon a new stage of social development, in which informatization plays the decisive role in all life processes. In the middle of the last century the ideas of the information society were futurological predictions. In the course of improving electronic and digital technologies, most of the events predicted by the theorists were realized in the rapid development of media, especially television and the widespread use of personal computers, in the construction of global information networks, in the development of virtual reality technologies and other technological innovations. These achievements have radically changed the life of society, bringing to the fore activities related to the production, consumption, transmission and storage of information that provides communication processes in society. These communication processes, which include social communications, provide a simultaneous impact on large heterogeneous audiences of any characters transmitted by impersonal means from an organized source for which audience members are anonymous. Social communications are developing as a relatively stable and holistic formation of modern social life and influence various aspects of society. social communication information society

Modern social communications are considered as a process of transmitting information to large groups of people through special means such as traditional and interactive media or mass media. The problem of the formation of information society (post-industrial, network) and the evaluation of its various components is one of the most controversial issues in modern science. As a result of the digital revolution, information has become a leading subject and means of labor, almost all products of social production reflect in it. The development of society in different areas indicates the growing media influence and the information transmitted through them on the transformation of modern society. Society is considered as a network of communications, and these communications create an opportunity for self-development and self-reproduction.

This consideration of the communication nature takes it to a new level and gives it social significance, despite the controversial communication processes organized by different communities, regions and countries. Different communication processes can contribute to the construction and regulation of social organization and bring individuals together, influence individuals development and create stable interpersonal relationships, as well as destroy social values, public consciousness in general and at an individual level. Thus, modern communication forms can build a special subcultural environment and implement ways of social and everyday (personal) discourses. They express social differentiation, social stratification and social hierarchy, as well as categorization of relations and interactions.

Social communications are very important for the stabilization and development of social life through the interaction of individuals, because they create a special unity based on relatively stable and repetitive forms, have a great influence on the behavior and activities of the individual, form the communicative levels of society. Achieving of such intersubjectivity is closely related to the compatibility of communicative meanings, signs and codes, mechanisms of their understanding, decoding and interpretation, the possibility of opposition, identification and interchangeability of social positions and individual points of view. We consider that the unity of individuals, the correlation of general and individual systems of communicative relations in the integration of everyday experience in social relations, possible through communication, that is the process of information exchange. The peculiarity of information exchange between people is that due to the exchange of signs, partners can influence each other while changing interpersonal relationships. Therefore, the essence of social communications is not just a process of information transfer, but a process of understanding and constructing a general social order [1]. Communication between people is more essential, and interactive dialogues that take place in today's world through online resources are a link between intersubjectivity in human society, even in a virtual environment. Modern social communications are basis of interaction; through them “social” and “human” complement each other.

But modern social dialogue can not only be a stabilizing and unifying principle, but it also conveys the contradictions between the need for an effective system of social regulation, significant regulatory potential of social communication, on the one hand, and inefficient and full use of this potential, on the other. This discourse directs to a thorough study of social communications structure, which is constantly changing due to changes of social problems, social needs, challenges facing the community in various spheres of public life, as well as in connection with scientific and technological progress, but has generally accepted relations on the basis of which this structure can be improved. Quality improvement of the content and intensity of its distribution through existing channels, upgrading and constantly multiplying of existing communication channels, the quantity and quality of which significantly affect the users of information broadcast through them, and organization of public opinion are development areas of the social communications structure. Thus, understanding of development process of social communications and their role in the evolution of society is in the public consciousness.

Constant information and communication transformations, their burden of additional progressive inventions, which on the one hand facilitate communication processes, and on the other hand limit human capabilities, transform the communication system from a primary two-level (interpersonal and mass) to a complex, multilevel communication system. It should be noted that interpersonal communication is carefully described in the work of Chetverikov Z., who does not only analyze different approaches to understanding of this concept, but also specifies the main aspects of interpersonal communication, examines in detail the properties of interpersonal communication, its specifics, features and principles of interpersonal communication. He defines interpersonal communication as both direct and indirect linguistic communication of two individuals who may be members of one or different groups that interact and influence each other [2]. But this interpretation does not limit the understanding that the interaction of two individuals can be actualized in intergroup communication, as well as in communication between the individual and the audience. This approach actualizes the consideration of the mass communication concept, which is also basic in the system of modern social communications, because globalization processes that cover all spheres of public life and are accompanied by profound changes in social relations, shows the fundamentals of social transformation. Nowadays, the understanding of mass communications is not restricted of reality description and focuses on developing approaches that can offset the negative effects of modern social processes, including globalization, which take place against the growing role of mass communications, and guide social development on a trajectory that ensures public consensus.

We have analyzed a large number of works devoted to the study of mass communications and can conclude that this phenomenon is an interdisciplinary aspect that reveals changes in its nature and role in modern society using the methods of various scientific disciplines. We highlight the apologetic theories of Marshall McLuhan, critical remarks of Theodor W. Adorno and Jean Baudrillard in the view of assessing the media activities as a means of spreading mass communication. In his neutral concept Niklas Luhmann [3] emphasizes the risks of mass communication that lead to both global consensus and conflict. The study of scientific research on mass communications in various scientific fields allows obtaining a comprehensive picture of this phenomenon and emphasizing a certain distinction between the concepts of “mass communication” and “mass media”. Mass communication is a form of interaction of the masses, through which spiritual and cultural values and meanings are created and spread. Mass media is a social institution that coordinates and harmonizes the interaction of participants in this process by establishing rules and norms.

Modern social communications are based on the primary system of interpersonal and mass communication, so we can present a more complex approach to communication itself, because it is the subject of humanities and applied sciences. At the same time, technical disciplines study the possibilities and methods of transmitting, processing and storing information, creating special codes and systems of certain symbols and rules by which one can present necessary information. Applied research is aimed at solving specific communication tasks such as development of dialog systems, improving static methods of processing and analysis of information data, creation of artificial intelligence. Psychology and psycholinguistics consider the factors that contribute to transmission and perception of information, as well as the factors that simplify and complicate the processes of interpersonal and mass communication. Linguistics deals with the problems of verbal communication such as normative and non-normative use of words and phrases in language. Paralinguistics specializes in methods of nonverbal communication which include gestures, facial expressions and other non-verbal means of communication. Sociolinguistics examines the problems associated with social nature of language and the peculiarities of its functioning in different societies, as well as the mechanisms of interaction of social and linguistic factors that determine contacts between members of different social groups. Sociology focuses on social factors that determine the impact of mass communication on the formation of public opinion and the attitude to social realities and values. Therefore, social communication is such a communicative activity of people, which is the result of a number of socially significant assessments, specific situations, communicative spheres and communication norms adopted in this society. Social communication should take into account the functional features of communication between representatives of different social groups in the process of their interaction (transmission and receipt of meaningful and evaluative information) and as a result affect their attitude to social values of society.

This complex system is an important factor in development of opportunities for its further improvement and aims at strengthening social unity of society. However, modern global transformations cannot be considered exclusively in the positive context of achieving the basic communicative idea of uniting different social communities, because political elites, oligarchic clans, leaders of different countries who influence the evolution of economic processes, block ideas of unity and individuals' freedom, countries and society as a whole and pursue their own mercenary aims.

We think that solution of the conflict is possible only if everyone is thoroughly aware not only of communication processes, but also of other media components, which form a modern media landscape with the diversity of presented content, its structuring, filtering and crystallization. It is necessary to consider not only the modern media environment with its structure, components, processes and goals, but also to identify primary approaches to formatting social communications in order to find those weaknesses that lead to mimicry of basic communication tasks.

Social development and content are growing through digital technologies, so we can talk about the transition from information society to digital in which the established view of communication as a process of interaction between people tends to use new forms and tools. The structure of the communication concept distinguishes the components associated with reflection of communication forms between two or more individuals using not only qualitative parameters of communication processes for their participants, but technical means such as telegraph, telephone, social networks. At the same time, the mass communication concept as a process of informatization with the help of technical means, such as press, radio, television, cinema, etc., is becoming important. Thus, evolution of technological progress leads to excessive idealization of social communications with all their inherent features.

Sociological ideas about communicative actions are enriched by understanding that they harmonize with the “lifeworld”, create conditions for human meaning, serve as a tool for its underformed preservation and renewal, through understanding of life situations restore the stock of sociocultural patterns that improve human contacts and form basis for rational social integration [4]. It should be noted that real processes of public life democratization and development of traditional and alternative media contribute to social integration and increase the impact on society. Understanding of communications content increases as a tool of socio-cultural interaction in society as one of the fundamental factors of its overall development, as well as the specific features of the individual communities functioning. These features can be manifested in the preparation of relevant content, the algorithm formation to achieve this goal, the choice of information transmission channels as well as in the development of feedback mechanisms, evaluation of the communication processes effectiveness. Such specialization is becoming more permanent, especially in these areas, which have certain, independent features, including social communications of the administrative sphere, cultural, economic, scientific and political communications, which overlap with media system.

Accelerated production of information is less controlled by public institutions; the growing crisis of information resource management draws special attention to the problem of improving information channels, the organization of effective information circulation in modern society. The growing uniformity of information is the factor influencing the content of social communications in public consciousness, especially in modern conditions of due to the common tasks of the world community. Solving world-class problems leads to development of a civilized information network, a system of social communications through which relevant supranational institutions try to respond to socially significant events, from weather disasters to collective security, from global aspects of economic and social development to human regeneration. Awareness of the social communications content, their characteristics and potential has great importance for society.

Modern communication society is characterized by constant multiplication, acceleration, consolidation and globalization of communications. The number and quality of communications is constantly growing, their alternation is constantly accelerating, and more and more people are involved in the communication process. The relationship between individual communications is becoming larger; the range of communications whose network has reached global proportions is increasing too. Communications growth opens new opportunities that people are free from previous restrictions, systems of social control and coercion; create new foundations of personal representation.

Every society is a space of carefully regulated communication. Public institutions act as a form of regulation of social relations. Social dialogue is the content of this settlement. Dialogue is an active unifying force that strengthens the structure of social life and forms in people a sense of belonging to society, to a social group, to social values, social roles and social identity.

A society formed at the turn of the century and millennia is called a network society not only because its existence is ensured by new information technologies. Economy, labor and employment, culture, politics, state institutions, space and time are being transformed. New information and communication technologies are necessary as a tool for such transformations, but not their cause. Network society is not a model of modern success; it is an extremely general characteristic of the emerging social structure. As a key category for the philosophical analysis of the social network, bany authors use the concept of “rhizome” as specific concepts of postmodern discourse. In the broadest sense the “rhizome” can serve as a way of the postmodern world, in which there is no centralization, order and symmetry.

The introduction of information technology in modern society has led to integration as a social community connected by the “World Wide Web”, and to the social disintegration and the emergence of “caste” and “atomized” society. The role that information plays today has led to space “compression” and time “acceleration”. Market laws are in force in this society. Moreover, market criteria extend to new areas and become increasingly insightful. Information is transformed into a product and operates in accordance with all market laws. The preservation and rising of class inequality is the logical consequence of maintaining and expanding the scope of market criteria. There is information inequality or digital divide along with the traditional property inequality [5].

Communicative analysis of culture allows us to see the dependence of its global changes on the ways of transmitting and recording information. This analysis is based on the typification of cultures and types of consciousness, based on the dominant communication environment in society. There are three main stages in the history of civilization according to this provision: Stage I is the original pre-written culture, based on the principles of naturalness and collectivity of lifestyle, perception and understanding of the world through oral communication and transmission of information; Stage II is written and printed culture, which replaced oral and emotional forms of communication with books and approved didacticism, individualism and nationalism instead of naturalness and collectivism; Stage III is modern society, which departs from the principles of the “Gutenberg Galaxy” in the direction of reviving the natural auditory-visual multidimensional perception of the world and collectivity, but on a new electronic-industrial basis by replacing print languages with radio and television and network media.

The concept of mosaic is reduced to the general principle of all modern culture, which asserts itself on the basis of denial of time and space importance in their traditional forms. Mass communication does not form an individual picture of the world, compiled by unfolding phenomena in some linear space and continuous time, but demonstrates a general mosaic of occurring simultaneously events. An individual's commitment to a particular space or time does not matter, because he cannot be engaged in all current events on the planet, but involved in all events that have ever taken place in history, turning them into present events [6].

Media reports contain a huge variety of discourses. Different groups of people (or subcultures) occupy completely different social spaces and acquire media messages in different ways. The decoding sense does not necessarily coincide with the encoded content. When a message is transmitted to an undifferentiated mass of recipients, it is obvious that different people decode and understand it differently. Aberrant decoding, which rarely causes misunderstandings between individuals, is the rule of media [7].

Conclusions and perspectives of further exploration

The world of reality, mediated by mass communication, appears to an individual as the world of simulacra. It is divided into many episodes that do not represent events, but intertwine with them, forming new simulation artifacts. The static “What” of matter as a “reality given to us in the senses” is in favor of the “How” of dynamic decomposition of substances at the expense of their support. The inviolable materiality of the world, inherent in social formations, is characterized by natural exchange and a stable picture of the world, dissolves in conventionality of ways of its perception and reproduction by mass communication.

Literature

1. Smetana V. V. Social communication. (Socio-philosophical analysis of communicative relations and communicative discourse): Thesis for a Candidate Degree in Philosophical Sciences. Rostov-na-Donu, 2004. 177 p.

2. Chetverikov Z. V. Socio-philosophical analysis of interpersonal communication: Thesis for a Candidate Degree in Philosophical Sciences: Piatigorsk, 2004. 170 p.

3. Іванов В. Основні теорії масової комунікації і журналістики: Навчальний посібник / За науковою редакцією В. В. Різуна К.: Центр Вільної Преси, 2010. 258 с. URL: https://www.aup.com.ua/uploads/TMbook.pdf

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5. Миськевич T. Цифрова нерівність у сучасному суспільстві: український вимір світових тенденцій / Т. Миськевич // Український журнал з бібліотекознавства та інформаційних наук. 2019. Вип. 3. C. 87-107. URL: http://librinfosciences.knukim.edu.ua/article/view/169673

6. Haferkamp Hans, and Neil J. Smelser, editors Social Change and Modernity. Berkeley: University of California Press, c19921991. URL: https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft6000078s; chunk.id=0; doc. view=print

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References

1. Smetana V. V. Social communication. (Socio-philosophical analysis of communicative relations and communicative discourse): Thesis for a Candidate Degree in Philosophical Sciences. Rostov-na-Donu, 2004. 177 p.

2. Chetverikov Z. V. Socio-philosophical analysis of interpersonal communication: Thesis for a Candidate Degree in Philosophical Sciences: Piatigorsk, 2004. 170 p.

3. Ivanov V. Osnovni teorii masovoi komunikatsii i zhurnalistyky: Navchalnyi posibnyk / Za naukovoiu redaktsiie- iu V. V. Rizuna K.: Tsentr Vilnoi Presy, 2010. 258 s. URL: https://www.aup.com.ua/uploads/TMbook.pdf

4. Volovych V. Sociology: a Short Encyclopedic Dictionary / under the general editorship of V. Volovych. Kyiv, Ukrainian Center of Spiritual Culture, 1998. P. 242-243.

5. Myskevych T. Tsyfrova nerivnist u suchasnomu suspilstvi: ukrainskyi vymir svitovykh tendentsii / T. Mys- kevych // Ukrainskyi zhurnal z bibliotekoznavstva ta informatsiinykh nauk. 2019. Vyp. 3. C. 87-107. URL: http:// librinfosciences.knukim.edu.ua/article/view/169673

6. Haferkamp Hans, and Neil J. Smelser, editors Social Change and Modernity. Berkeley: University of California Press, c19921991. URL: https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft6000078s; chunk.id=0; doc. view=print

7. Vusiness economics. Issue 4 (2), (October). Volume 52. Palgrave Macmillan Ltd., 2017. P. 285-620. URL: http://dspace.wunu.edu.ua/bitstream/316497/37220/1/Business%20Economics.pdf

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