Общественное мнение и публичное пространство: проблема смысловой взаимосвязи в рамках системно-коммуникативного подхода

Abstract

In this article, the author investigates two social phenomena, namely, public opinion and public space, within the framework of the systems-communicative approach. The study is relevant due to the fact that today, both in Russia and beyond, the topic of public opinion, publicity and mass beliefs has received great attention from various spheres of public life, in particular, the political sphere, which can automatically generate research interest within the academic environment. The theoretical basis for this paper is Niklas Luhmann’s general social theory. The purpose of the study is to explicate the special characteristics of public opinion as a truly unique communication space necessary for the political system to reproduce itself. The author considers the problem of the interpretation of public opinion and its characteristics as a communicative phenomenon and consistently outlines the construct of Luhmann’s theoretical positions. Recognizing the special role of the media as an actor that gives a distinct shape to public opinion, the author demonstrates that the popular view of mass media as a manipulator of mass beliefs is often exaggerated and even prescribed: being guided by the desire to create a sensation, mass media can offer or even impose an agenda, but cannot force its full acceptance. It is postulated here that not only does the news seek its reader, but the reader seeks his/her news. Based on these positions, the author concludes that, within the framework of the political system, public opinion is a communicative tool for making universally binding decisions, rather than a sum of individual views, thus demonstrating the mythological content of the concepts of democracy, elections, and popular will.