XVI Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2024

Russian society currently faces a number of problems that are caused by both global challenges and the transitional stage in the development of society. The issues of control and controllability of people's consciousness in the conditions of permanently ongoing hybrid wars are more acute than ever. In order to develop effective mechanisms for confronting our opponents in the «integral war», it is necessary, according to A. Dugin, «to develop a full-fledged ideological front within Russia itself - the Northern Military District in science, education and culture» [1]. So it seems relevant to study the concept of «propaganda» since it is one of the tools of hybrid wars and ways to combat its harmful effects.

Propaganda has an instrumental impact on the basic value, spiritual and moral level of the individual. In addition, the ideological, educational, spiritual potential of propaganda plays a significant constructive role in the minds of people. It is worth noting that for Russian-speaking people the concept of «propaganda» is not completely negative. Propaganda can also have a positive effect. According to the «Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language» by V.I. Dahl [2] propaganda is «the dissemination of any kind of teaching». S.I. Ozhegov and N.Yu. Shvedova [2] define propaganda as «the dissemination in society and the explanation of some views, ideas, knowledge, teachings». D.N. Ushakov [2] also notes the positive meaning of propaganda: «explaining and convincing the broad masses of the need for something. Promoting electrification. Promotion of physical education. Propaganda of the USSR Defense Loan». The «Big Soviet Encyclopedia» [2] indicates the etymology of the word «propaganda», which comes from the Latin propaganda - subject to distribution, from propago - I distribute, i.e. this is «the dissemination of political, philosophical, scientific, artistic and other views». Thus, in the Russian language, the term «propaganda» initially has a neutral meaning associated with the dissemination of any ideas that can have both a positive and negative impact on a person. The sociological dictionary [2] defines «propaganda» as «a system of activities aimed at disseminating knowledge, artistic values», and philosophical science goes even further, highlighting the function of propaganda as «the dissemination and inculcation of views, ideas, opinions with the goal of positive or negative tune the audience» [2]. Consequently, the term «propaganda», which initially functioned in Russian as a synonym for the dissemination of teachings and ideas, gradually acquires additional meanings associated with an in-depth explanation of views, with the aim of ideological influence on the broad masses.

Propaganda affects both the mind and emotions of people, therefore, according to the theory of sociologist A.M. Tsuladze [3], propaganda, like emotions, can be negative (destructive) or positive (constructive). The goal of positive (constructive) propaganda is to convey to a person certain beliefs, educating people within the framework of generally accepted norms and values. This type of propaganda performs two functions: educational and informational. It is implemented in the interests of those to whom it is addressed, and not a limited circle of interested parties, and does not pursue the goal of manipulation, and thus differs from negative propaganda. Negative (destructive) propaganda imposes certain beliefs according to the principle «the end justifies the means». The main objective of such propaganda is to incite social hostility, aggravate social conflicts, contribute to the strengthening of contradictions in society and the awakening of base instincts in people. Such propaganda allows for the disunity of people, making a person obedient to the will of the propagandist. The main function of negative propaganda is the formation of an imaginary, parallel reality with an «inverted» system of beliefs, values and views. Such propaganda actively uses the tool of suggestion to manipulate people in the interests of a limited group of people. Therefore, the use of propaganda is an integral element of modern hybrid wars, which in modern scientific knowledge is usually understood as the conscious conquest of territory using systemically interconnected information and cyber influence in combination with the actions of the armed forces and economic pressure.

Since the media is considered the «fourth estate», it can be used to influence people’s opinions. Each state presents geopolitical events to the population in its own way, based on its own position on this issue. The image of Russia in journalistic texts of foreign journalists changes every year, depending on the current political agenda. Events in Ukraine launched a powerful propaganda machine, and today on the pages of many foreign media you can see a whole string of provocative and negative headlines with the words «Russia», «Putin» and «war». But this process began even before certain events in February 2022. Journalists from «Rossiya Segodnya» [4] conducted a study of materials from Western media writing about Russia, covering the first half of 2019. The media from the G7 countries, which position themselves as the most democratic in the world, were selected for the study. These are the USA, Great Britain, Germany, France, Canada, Japan and Italy. As a result, Russian journalists came to the conclusion that, firstly, there is no balance in coverage of the Russian agenda in major Western countries: negative information prevails, and this applies not only to topics, but also to the presentation of the material itself. Secondly, there is a clear correlation between the amount of negative materials about Russia in the media of a particular country and that country’s foreign policy towards Russia. Thirdly, Russia appears as a hostile and dangerous country on the pages of leading Western newspapers and magazines not during the last 10-20 years, but much longer.

Our society has been exposed to destructive propaganda for some time now, so there is a need to actively search for means that can help counter the influence of propaganda directed against the healthy, traditional foundations of the «Russian World». This is especially timely due to the fact that at the moment our soldiers, sacrificing themselves, defend our values, views, faith, history, people and the entire Russian people on the territory of Ukraine, conducting a special military operation.

The phrase of the famous multimillionaire N. M. Rothschild «who owns the information, owns the world» is very relevant today, because the spread of propaganda has become much easier in the digital age. That’s why modern man needs to learn to skillfully manage information, putting maximum effort into it, otherwise information, or rather someone who benefits from it, will begin to manage him. To productively process arrays of information that sometimes contradict each other, it is necessary to develop a skill such as critical thinking, aimed at «deciding what to believe or what action to take» [5]. In addition, critical thinking allows you to «carry out a strict assessment of the results of mental activity, find strengths and weaknesses in them, prove the truth of the propositions put forward» and «analyze information from a logical standpoint, make informed judgments and decisions» [5].

According to psychologists K. Wade and K. Tavris [5], critical thinking is not just about the desire to evaluate different statements and make objective judgments based on well-founded evidence, it is also the ability to think about the implications and see omissions in arguments and not be swayed by statements without sufficient grounds. Thinking critically also means thinking outside the box [9], freeing oneself from individual and social cliches and stereotypes that can be imposed from the outside in order to introduce alien meanings into consciousness. Critical thinking is a tool for forming one’s own views, concepts and beliefs, making informed decisions based on existing known facts. These critical thinking properties will help repel propaganda attacks launched by our enemies.

The relevance of the formation of critical thinking is confirmed by the fact that the Federal State Educational Standard defines it as a meta-subject competence, a universal educational activity [6]. In addition, it is called a universal and key competency of modern educational standards in many countries of the world, as well as a «flexible» or «soft» skill [7]. The goal of this type of thinking is to understand and comprehend the information received, therefore the idea of its formation is positively received by the education system, business, and society as a whole body. And during the period of a hybrid war unleashed against our Motherland, the ability to critically perceive information seems vital for the preservation of our «Russian world».

References:

1. Dugin A.G. Overcoming the West // Russian philosophy of law: main problems and traditions. Materials of the All-Russian scientific-theoretical conference. Rostov-on-Don. 2022. Pp. 16-19.

2. Bokova M.M., Koval V.A. Critical thinking as a defense mechanism against impacts of propaganda // Anthropocentric sciences in education: a collection of scientific articles of the XIX International Scientific and Practical Conference November 28-29, 2023 (Voronezh, Russia) / editorial board: E.P. Komarova (ed.) [and others]. Voronezh: Publishing House printing center «Scientific Book», 2023. Pp. 177-179.

3. Tsuladze A. M. Political manipulation, or Conquering the crowd. M.: Book House «University», 1999. - 144 p.

4. «You yourself are propaganda» A large study of foreign media writing about Russia is presented // https://russkiymir.ru/publications/263688/ (date of the application: 20.12.2024).

5. Bekbayeva Z.S., Galiyev T.T., Albytova N. et al. Fostering post-secondary vocational students’ critical thinking through multi-level tasks in learning environments // World Journal on Educational Technology: Current Issues. – 2021. – Vol. 13(3). – P. 397-406.

6. Universal competences and new literacy: from slogans to reality / ed. M. S. Dobryakova, I. D. Frumina. - M.: Publishing house. House of Higher School 15. Stekhov A.V. Pedagogical technologies for the development of critical and creative thinking / A.V. Stekhov // Pedagogical technologies - No. 4 - 2020. - pp. 34-40.

7. Bokova M., Volynkina N. Military university cadets’ critical thinking development: theoretical and methodological aspect // Professional education in Russia and abroad. - 2023. – Vol. 3(51). – Pp. 36-42.