CHINA AND EUROPE: INFORMATION GEOPOLITICS IN THE ERA OF NEW MEDIA

Abstract

The article is devoted to the (geo-)political strategies of the EU and China in the modern communication space mediated by Internet technologies. As the main features of this space, the authors highlight the presence of a single and indivisible offline and online society; the permanent and progressive nature of communication; the use of new information exchange technologies; the introduction of new communicators into the environment through manipulation and influence techniques; the development of free exchange of ideas and information, regardless of borders. The authors note that political communication today directly expresses the essence of the information society and thus - both its new opportunities and risks for the promotion of ideological meanings and the realization of power goals. In recent years, the unconditional hegemony of the West in the global communication space has been replaced by sharp competition with China. At the same time, the participants of this competition seek to restrict access to their spaces of information sources from the competitor. The authors show how this works using the example of European and Chinese media. Separately, the article analyzes the emerging turn towards a new global communication subject to Chinese influence. In a comparative perspective, the key features of the European communicative space in modern political realities are indicated. Further, the article shows that the creation of its own social network in China (WeChat), as well as the improvement of the interaction process within the Chinese community (the opening of blogging sites, etc.), led to the spread of internal ideologically significant networks outside the PRC. This attracted representatives of other regions and states to the cultural environment of this country. The authors conclude that due to this process, there is not only competition for dominance in the global communication space, but also a tendency to improve the interaction of countries in all spheres of life.