Time as a Category in the Design and research of Communication Environments

Abstract

The objective of this article is to attempt a systematization of the forms of time from the perspective of the functioning of communication environments, to identify possible models for interpreting time in the informational space of a specific communication environment, and to establish the influential potential of temporal contexts and forms that are or could be utilized in media discourse.

Research methodology. The study consolidates academic approaches to qualifying time from the standpoint of communication efficiency in media activity. Time is considered as a phenomenon that defines and shapes the system of effects within a media artifact, thus highlighting the importance and significance of taking this category into account in academic and practical media activities. The research was guided by general scientific methods of theoretical research, including formalization and generalization, abduction, grounded theory, the hypothetico-deductive method, and modeling.

Results. Time as a category has been thoroughly comprehended and examined in philosophical studies and is actively researched in literary studies, particularly for determining the specific nature of artistic imagery. However, media studies have not fully articulated the issue of time as a model for perception and the formation of media effects. Traditional linear conceptions of time are inadequate for assessing the social processes and phenomena that form the focus of professional media work. Moreover, the manipulation of temporal forms of context perception and the modeling of non-linear temporal structures can become, and often do become, tools of influence, including what is understood as manipulation. A broader understanding of time in media discourse, considering the social nature and functions of media in driving societal progress, justifies defining the social orientation of time at the level of media representations of societal life. This approach also allows for the establishment of correlations with philosophical, ideological, political, and other systems shaping social processes, which serve as criteria for evaluating social axiology (the dominance of past, present, or future-oriented categories in conceptualizing societal goals and needs). These specificities of time operation at the level of individual works or media discourse as a whole should form the basis for rethinking fundamental concepts of media activity, be considered in the system of communication technologies, and be integrated into analytical processes evaluating the effectiveness of texts or textual arrays (systems). This necessity underscores the importance of refining the conceptualization of time within the paradigm of media studies.

Novelty. This article consolidates approaches to modeling temporal forms at the level of individual consciousness in the perception of media artifacts, emphasizes the broader social context of comprehension of time in media activity, and proposes directions for rethinking key approaches to media research by considering time as an independent category directly related to formation of influences and modeling the perception of messages in the media activity system.

The practical value of this study lies in forming directions and approaches for integrating the concept of time into the design of communication environments, individual media works, and media discourse as a whole. It includes qualifying key analytical directions for media artifacts or discourse based on the characteristics of temporal modeling and the perception of messages through the lens of actualized temporal forms.

Key words: time, media discourse, media artifact, temporal modeling, communication design.