Цифровые потери в коммуникации при переходе от «общения» к «передаче информации»

Abstract

The article focuses on the issues of communication in the digital age. Digitalisation, which means converting information into digital form and simultaneously introducing modern technologies in all social areas, is contrasted with computerization — the process of forming the ultimate conditions to meet users’ information needs by means of appropriate technologies. The difference between the two is that in the first case the system can make choices for an individual, while in the second it merely assists you by simplifying the process of mastering and using cultural and language codes. One of the consequences of digitalisation, in the author’s opinion, is a change in the very concept of communication: it is no longer defined as “interpersonal communication”, but rather as “an exchange of information”, according to dictionaries of linguistic terms. The author argues that instrumentality prevailing over communicativeness is the root of many issues, i.e. the merging of written and oral forms of language, the use of contracted and curtailed speech similar to texting, losing the plot while listening, broken links between the form and content of a language sign, the emergence of “sticker-words” indicating objects, actions, and emotions, choosing words with a smaller set of semes in their meaning, replacing words and punctuation with pictorial representations (emoticons and emoji), etc. As illustrations, the author uses samples of texts and dialogues obtained by means of applying the participant observation method, as well as texts from a corpus of business letters. Having analysed the material, the author concludes that the modern human brain works similarly to T9, selecting from the entire repertoire of linguistic means the most frequent ones which are included in the surface layer of the active lexicon, grammatical competence and pragmaticon of the speaker and meet the dominant, “popular” standard of speech.