Conflicts and media: paradigm reversal in the new reality? Opening up new interdisciplinary approaches to research

Abstract

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The depiction of the contemporary world, as portrayed by society and audiences, relies less on media narratives. This seemingly commonplace observation underlies various prevalent theoretical concepts today, such as the “gatekeeping” theory and mediatization concepts.

An altered scenario unfolds when delving into the examination of conflicting media representations. In modern society, the influence of individual public media can intricately impact societal development. The National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation¹ places significant emphasis on human potential development, enhancing citizens' quality of life, and addressing the ninth challenge of information security. This involves safeguarding Russia's sovereignty in the information space and can be achieved through fostering a secure and non-conflict media environment where stable socio-political information is created, distributed, and consumed. The National Security Strategy particularly stresses the protection of traditional cultural and moral values, culture, and historical memory in the information space.

Addressing the complexities of digital media communication spaces is a crucial issue, requiring the involvement of multiple stakeholders and the establishment of value and semantic priorities for content. A strategic aspect of adept media communication technology use is aligning with the goals outlined in the Doctrine of Information Security of the Russian Federation². This involves leveraging media communication technologies to preserve cultural, historical, spiritual, and moral values, as well as informing the public about the state's position on significant events.

The Doctrine also encompasses countering the use of information technologies to promote extremist ideologies, xenophobia, and ideas of national exclusivity. It aims to protect state secrets, enhance information support for state policy, and neutralize information impact eroding traditional values. Research and development in media conflictology align with the Strategy for Scientific and Technical Development of the Russian Federation³, focusing on identifying and preventing sociocultural threats and cyber threats.

These concerns extend beyond Russia, impacting all countries facing challenges posed by digital media and communication technologies. Current global trends, such as digitalization and the rise of social media, transform communication processes, altering the roles of journalism, mass media, and social media in society. The deep mediatization of reality, propelled by digital media technologies, presents a pressing task for researchers to understand the functioning of traditional and social media, their interactions, and the effects of representing social reality, including conflicts, in the online environment.

The multifaceted nature of the media environment, encompassing traditional media, new media, and an active audience, introduces new dynamics in the representation, escalation, and resolution of social conflicts. Researchers face the challenge of theoretically analyzing this multi-subject structure and predicting the outcomes of situations. Information security threats, such as fake news, extend beyond traditional news reports to the broader realm of internet communications. Detecting and combating fake information, especially in conflict contexts, is a complex task, emphasizing the significance of qualitative content analysis in countering intentionally false information and fakes within the modern media communication environment.

The significance of this thematic concern is shaped by the current information landscape saturated with reports on diverse social conflicts within domestic and foreign policy, interethnic and interreligious relations, and attitudes toward minorities and vulnerable social groups (Baychik, 2020). The impact of disseminating such information can be both positive and negative, contingent on how the information is conveyed, which elements of journalistic content are emphasized, and the interpretation the author conveys.

In contemporary times, media communications have evolved into a platform for conflict generation and existence, involving multiple stakeholders. This includes institutionally organized media shaping the mass information agenda, irrespective of whether they act in the interest of the national state or other political and economic elites. Additionally, social media, represented by “new professionals” like bloggers, influencers, and opinion leaders, along with their audience, contribute to the dynamics of conflicts, whether as affected citizens, witnesses, observers, or individuals with indirect involvement.

Within this context, media representation of conflicts and their “life cycle” undergo substantial changes. The coverage of conflicts at various stages, from pre-conflict situations to post-conflict scenarios, as well as the primary and secondary effects on the audience, takes on new forms and properties.

Understanding the relationship between media and conflict reveals the multi-level and multidimensional nature of conflicts in modern society. It extends beyond war or armed confrontation to include conflicts between political and social groups and individuals with differing interests and values. Media communications often act as both a static element and a dynamic driving force in social conflicts, playing a mediating role.

The role of media in conflict coverage is a comprehensive concept involving external and internal factors and conflict variables. The interaction between media and conflict has become an interdisciplinary focus in contemporary humanities research, exploring the broad social and personal consequences resulting from conflict coverage in the media. This evolving field delves into the forms, tools, factors, roles, and social and individual consequences of media coverage of conflicts.

To systematize knowledge from conflictology, media studies, political science, sociology, history, linguistics, and other areas, there is a need to develop a unified methodological approach to analyzing media conflicts. Unanswered questions persist about how institutionalized (traditional media) and non-institutionalized subjects (social media, active audiences) represent social conflicts within the multi-subjective structure of the media environment. Considerations include the correlation between the subject type, conflict type, and media audience type, the “life cycle” of a conflict in the digital media communication environment, and the social effects provided by each subject separately and in aggregate. Ultimately, understanding and potentially regulating audience reactions to social conflicts in the short and long term is crucial for sustainable social development, harmonizing social processes, and reducing tension in modern Russian society.

The outlined issues necessitate systematic and comprehensive modeling and forecasting, integrating knowledge of the modern media environment, conflicto-logy theory and practice, and interdisciplinary tools in social process design. This thematic concern raises questions about the interdisciplinary study and prediction of the social effects of media representation of conflict in a digital multi-subjective media environment, identifying mechanisms for conflict flow and management – a significant and enduring research task.

This thematic issue of RUDN Journal of Studies in Literature and Journalism delves into the previously unexplored realms of media reversibility, conflict, and crisis. Representing a collaboration of researchers from various Russian and foreign scientific schools, the collected papers address significant scientific challenges and propose innovative methodologies.

In the article titled “Media conflictology as a field of research: working out theoretical approaches” E.L. Vartanova and D.V. Dunas analyze the nature of the relationship between media and conflict, emphasizing the interdisciplinary significance of media effects in the New Reality. Traditionally, conflict studies focused on conflicts themselves, but in the context of deep and transgressive mediatization and a media-centric approach, the authors advocate for a cohesive field of research – media conflictology. The paper explores existing research approaches, aiming to identify conceptual blocks that contribute to the theoretical knowledge in this emerging field.

D.P. Gavra and V.V. Dekalov, distinguished researchers at the Faculty of Journalism of St. Petersburg University, examine the potential development of the model of digital communicative capitalization in the era of platforms and communicative abundance. Their work highlights how attention invested in a particular platform not only generates measurable income but also enhances social, symbolic, and cultural capital. The lack of transparency in transforming digital reflections of capitals into real forms leads to new concepts characterizing digital communication capital and the double exploitation of attention in various digital markets.

Addressing the quest for universal digital media modeling during crises, scientists from the HSE University – S.V. Zykov, E.A. Babkin, and B.I. Ulitin – present a new approach in their article “Models and methods of controlled media transgression in crisis conditions”. This approach, grounded in a hierarchy of interdisciplinary criteria and crisisology concepts, facilitates decision-making and control over media objects in crisis situations. The authors introduce a software prototype based on ontology mechanisms, offering decision support and universal applicability for evaluating various media objects to reduce the likelihood of crisis situations.

The issue explores combating misinformation and restoring trust in the media through the inventive use of biometrics in online media. Sasha Shilina, a leading researcher at the Paradime Research Foundation, suggests that biometrics, with its identity verification capabilities, content authentication, and personalized user experiences, offers unique solutions to counter misinformation and create a secure online media ecosystem – a paradigm shift in media during crises.

Researchers from Moscow and St. Petersburg identify the newest parameters of crisis in artificial intelligence-mediated journalism. They note a lack of personal and social memory, disrupting fundamental journalistic principles. The expansion of AI-based media practices leads to major conceptual contradictions, prompting the formation of new areas of media research, specifically critical media studies mediated by artificial intelligence.

The future of artificial intelligence-driven media is capturing the attention of scientists globally, with Professor Ketan Kotecha sharing insights on anticipated changes across all levels of the media system, media education, and media research. As a distinguished computer science and engineering professor and head of the Symbiosis Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence, Dr. Kotecha's perspectives hold significance, given his recognition as one of the top scientists globally by Stanford University.

Addressing the intersection of media and crisis in various spheres of modern life, young researcher K.L. Zuikina explores the visual aspects of network political communication during the 2020 political crisis in Belarus. Analyzing visual content from diverse political forces, the study identifies reverse trigger images influencing the transition of online activism to offline spaces.

Examining the 2018 presidential elections in Russia, researchers Yu.I. Dolgova and P.V. Gulenko investigate the crisis of political communication, questioning the effectiveness of silence in Russian media. Their unique methodology compares the content of evening television news and online media, revealing a reversal of the crisis paradigm. While online media is often perceived as higher quality, television better covers the election campaign by focusing on informing citizens about government activities.

T.Yu. Pynina presents an original perspective by analyzing the historical experience of Hungarian media's genesis within the political system of a multinational Habsburg monarchy. The study explores the influence of media content on national identity and counterpropaganda, emphasizing the importance of historical reverse in understanding this context.

Yaroslavl professor V.N. Stepanov and a Swiss-Russian team of scientists delve into anti-crisis values in modern media content. Professor Stepanov focuses on emotional and conflict-generating communication in a hybrid media environment, proposing a hierarchy of media content. The Swiss-Russian team analyzes VR projects in Russia and Switzerland, considering them as tools for promoting territorial brands and engaging audiences in sustainable consumption.

The issue also addresses media literacy and education challenges, with scientists from Russia and Indonesia documenting significant issues in these fields. Media literacy is portrayed as an “antidote” to fake news and disinformation, and recommendations are offered for increasing media literacy in Indonesia. Additionally, A.A. Efanov and M.A. Pugachev describe models of media educational potential within the domestic television industry, emphasizing the relevance of TV channels' autonomous media educational practices.

Despite the focus on media and conflict and crisis, the thematic issue aims to instill optimism for further research in this emerging field of media science.

_{¹ National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation. (2021). (In Russ.) Retrieved October 10, 2023, from https://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_389271/}

_{² Information Security Doctrine of the Russian Federation. (2016). (In Russ.) Retrieved October 10, 2023, from https://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_208191/4dbff9722e14f63a309bce4c2ad3d12cc2e85f10/}

_{³ Strategy for Scientific and Technical Development of the Russian Federation. (2016). (In Russ.) Retrieved October 10, 2023, from https://www.consultant.ru/law/hotdocs/48053.html}