MASS MEDIA AS AGENT OF IMPLICIT ENFORCEMENT OF BEHAVIORAL CULTURE

Abstract

The media have the ability to detect, store and transform information about stereotypes of behavioral culture, civilized forms of manifestation, both in everyday life of people, and in institutional relations, especially in the business and diplomacy sectors. In their role diversity, the media may implicitly enforce to such standards of behavior that society requires for organized, orderly relationships and compliance with social morals.

Nowadays, the media possess unique means of suggestion, persuasion, propaganda and manipulation of the audience. In this process, the mechanism of influence of consciousness is of particular importance in order to change the outer scope of its behavior. At the same time, the media have a number of advantages: the mass media are free of didactics, instruction and tendentious moralisation. Unconditional advantages of the mass media include combinatorics when providing information about the rules of good tone, polite behavior. Many products of the media are widely used in psychological techniques that facilitate the assimilation of information provided, for example, assimilation and recognition. Immanent, unintentional forms of suggestion are also effective, when stereotypes of behavior that correspond to representations of decency are formed without a tangible influence of authority, power or fear of punishment.

Moreover, the media are capable of the opposite effect – to simplify, deform the patterns of behavioral culture and relationships, and contribute to the simplification of morality. Such areas in the activities of the media include violation of limits of the decent, mocking sacramental (sacred), turning to vulgar and obscene themes. In pursuit of the attention mass media are able to eliminate restrictions, unvoluntarily call for permissiveness. Such a role in the media is played by advertising, which can adjust to unpretentiousness and easiness, as well as demonstration in programs such things that are clear and desirable to the majority. In this case the stereotypical form of behavior acts through allegorical figures, influencing the individual’s subconsciousness.

The article analyzes the place and role of mass media in the formation of stereotypes of behavioral culture. As a result of the study, the conclusion was made about the dual nature of mass-media production: on the one hand, they implicitly influence the spread of etiquette rules, and on the other hand, they can contribute to the simplification of morality and indulge vulgar, obscene, low-lying and impenetrable behaviour.