Mediatization of medical discourse: Modes, attributes and risks

Abstract

In the context of the broad mediatization of public life, medical discourse finds its realization not only in scientific, professional, sphere but also in the media space. The mediatization of scientific knowledge contributes to its popularization, the dissemination of reliable professional information, an improvement in the quality of the information space and, as a result, an increase in the medical literacy of the mass addressee. However, at the same time, the mediatization of medical discourse carries the risk of spreading some destructive social practices. The auhtor of this article summarizes the main theoretical aspects of communication in the context of global informatization of the communicative space. Special attention is paid to the concept of mediatization and its theoretical understanding in modern linguistic works. Two main ways of implementing medical discourse in the media space are considered: through the inclusion of a professional from the field of medicine into the media and through the media implementation of a professional medical text. The purpose of this study is to identify and analyze the attributes of mediatization of a professional medical text in the space of mass communication, to characterize the level of symmetrization in the presentation of medical material by means of media language and ways of perceiving a media-medical text by the addressee. The study was carried out within the framework of the discursive-interaction approach to the analysis of media communication. Texts from Slovak media resources were used as empirical material. Based on the linguistic analysis of the medical text in its media implementation, it can be concluded that there is significant content and linguistic transformation of scientific discourse in the media space. This is due to the mediatization of the medical text, when the personal function comes to the fore, and the information is presented in a manner of advertising. The wide informatization of the communicative space allows the addressee (heterogeneous in their knowledge, experience, ideas, goals) to directly participate in the subsequent interpretation of the text, which leads to the active participation of the layperson in the process of forming the information space. As a result, the choice and dissemination of often destructive social practices is directly affected.