Изменение массового поведения в условиях трансформации массового общества и массовых коммуникаций

Abstract

The paper considers the issue of collective behavior depending on the transformation of mass society, orientated at the platform “I” or at the platform “We”. The platform “I” is individualistic, in its utmost manifestation — self-centered, and remains the basis of the development of the Western society and its members’ conduct. The platform “I”, as the foundation of various facets of mass society, — consumption, spectacle, and performance, is opposed to the platform “We”, where personal rights and freedoms aid the cooperation of interests, in its highest degree — interests of the state for the people’s sake. The efficiency of social development orientated at either platform was recorded by the Covid-19 pandemic. The author demonstrates how the type of mass society — consumer society — is transforming into the society of the spectacle, which in its turn is transforming into the society of the performance. This transformation process is accompanied by the change of media communications, where digital media are beginning to dominate. According to the author, these are social media and chat bots; they are loosely bound by ethic norms and serve their main function — manipulation of mass consciousness, which determines the power of media influence. The competitiveness of media influence depends both on the efficiency of large databases management, and on the development of national network platforms.