Emotionalization of mass discourse as compensation for the crisis of reference

Abstract

This article comprehensively explores and analyzes the main reasons for the emergence of a clearly emerging imbalance between the emotional and rational components of the communicative space of modern mass discourse, as well as the imitation role of the emotions of a participant in modern discursive practices, which, in essence, are designed to compensate for his lack of opportunities, methods and channels to summarize the information received. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of such situations of manipulation of emotions at the individual or mass level within the framework of modern mass discourse, which are on the verge of complying with the law, or even go beyond this line. In conclusion, the interrelated phenomena of insincere discourse and the crisis of reference are considered, the correlation between which is assessed as one of the most significant and weighty confirmations of the prevalence and frequency of the use of processes of forced emotionalization of a number of discursive practices. In the vast majority of discursive practices, the emotions of the object of information today play the role of masks, screens, curtains, decorations, against which there is an imitation of a reference that is actually absent. In modern mass discourse, all information without notes is rarely conveyed to the audience, while facts are replaced by interpretations or turn out to be staged events. The main reason for the emotionalization of mass discourse is allegedly following the ideas, expectations and emotions of the mass audience – information is presented in such a way that everyone sees, hears, reads what they themselves would like to see, hear, read. The crisis of reference within mass discourse has an artificial and deliberately provoked character. The crisis of reference imposed on society by the main moderators of mass discourse deforms the semantic, syntactic and pragmatic norms of natural language, which makes it possible to manipulate both the meanings of words and syntaxes themselves, and their mass perception.