Media Reality as a Tool of Public Opinion Influence (on the Example of Temporarily Occupied Territories in the Zaporizhia Region)

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to examine media reality as a tool of propaganda and manipulation in the context of influencing public opinion, demonstrate the means of its construction using regional print media and digital media as examples, operating in the temporarily occupied territories of the Zaporizhia region.

Research methodology. During the research, methods of systematization, analysis, and synthesis were applied. The author conducted a review and fact-checking of printed and digital materials from the temporarily occupied territories of the Zaporizhia region to examine the media reality portrayed in them. The sample included propagandistic materials from June that were disseminated in the temporarily occupied territories of the Zaporizhia region, including excerpts from the newspaper «Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Belarus and Russia» (June 23–29, 2023, No. 26), «Zaporozhsky Vestnik» (No. 10), and digital materials (specifically, the Telegram channel «Zaporozhsky Vestnik» and the website ZP-news.ru). Hypotheses were also formulated regarding how media reality can influence public opinion.

Results. In this study, we examined potential tools of media reality influence on public opinion (using the example of citizens residing in temporarily occupied territories of the Zaporizhia region). The theoretical analysis indicated that the impact of media reality on the consciousness of individuals and groups was explored as far back as the previous century. However, the topic remains relevant to this day. Among the key works that laid the foundation for this research, it is worth mentioning the contributions of H. Adorno, P. Bourdieu, J. Baudrillard, R. Barthes, G. Lasswell, M. McLuhan, I. Matsishina, O. Moskvich, M. Sanakoyev, L. Chernyavska, and others. Notably, communication scholars V. Schramm and D. Roberts pointed out that governmental structures seek to present a different reality to society when they sense a lack of their own strength and convictions. The proposed author’s definition of the concept of media reality is as follows: a constructed socio-cultural reality, a virtual space, a collection of phenomena and processes reflected or distorted in the media that influence perception, understanding, and the way people interact with the real world, shape public opinion, and can be directed towards changing consumer behavior. Additionally, a practical analysis of propagandistic sources introduced in circulation in the temporarily occupied territories of the Zaporizhia region suggests that constructing media reality is a crucial element of mass influence. This is achieved through a range of instruments, including the creation of an information vacuum, the application of «pseudo-fact-checking» or accusing the Ukrainian side of disseminating false information, omission or downplaying of information, crafting specific symbols and visual images to impact the subconscious, publishing emotional content, activating the «spiral of silence», and frequent repetition of messages.

Practical significance. In the context of Russia’s information warfare against Ukraine, the research findings can be applied to develop countermeasures against hostile propaganda and reintegrating residents in the temporarily occupied territories.

Key words: propaganda, media reality, fakes, narratives, information war, media literacy, key messages, temporarily occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia region, manipulation, fact-checking.