CC BY
2426
PHILOSOPHICAL SCIENCES / «COyyOMUM-JMTMaL» 2©2U
PHILOSOPHICAL SCIENCES
Slyusar M. V.
ORCID ID: http://orcid. org/0000-0002-1480-1111 Zhytomyr Ivan Franko State University, Ukraine, Postgraduate Student at the Department of Philosophy and Political Science
DOI: 10.24412/2520-6990-2021-15102-26-30 MILITARY IMAGES AS A COMPONENT OF ADVERTISING MYTH-MAKING: WORLDVIEW-
COMMUNICATIVE ASPECT
Abstract.
The article examines the modern advertising and information space and the peculiarities of the production of military images in it. It is shown that they are a component of advertising myth-making, because in the process of symbolic exchange they carry their own unique associative semantic load, which consists in the expression of courage, a sense of security. Military images are used in the production of mythologems "we are strong - they are afraid of us", "invisible in work, but always reliable", "army - strength", "invincibility of the army", "continuation of the traditions of the victorious army". The peculiarities of machismo as a specific way of depicting the image of the military are revealed. Important in symbolic production is the visualization of images of military in uniform, images of military signs, symbols. In periods of passionary explosions, images of the military in the media are markers of national identity. Military images are also used in social advertising to affirm in the mass consciousness faith in one's army, a sense of security and safety. Attention is also drawn to sexist advertisements such as "military" is a "real man's job ".
Keywords: Keywords: mythization, mythologization, the newest myth, artistic myth, advertising myth, symbolic production and exchange, cultural heritage.
Statement of the Problem. The problem of determining the social content, role and specificity of the phenomenon by means of advertising was studied in the subject field of social philosophy in the context of issues of mythization, the specifics of the existence of modern myths in society, features of information, including advertising space. In the humanities, scientific research is carried out on various manifestations of this phenomenon in various aspects, which is determined by the subject of research and the relevant methodology used by a particular science. Quite often, specific advertising myths or the general impact of advertising (mostly destructive) on the individual as a consumer, on the culture of society, economic processes, etc. are analyzed. Advertising is analyzed as a social phenomenon, social process and type of social activity. It is the subject of scientific research in the field of social communications and philosophy, with the former exploring primarily the content, forms and methods of advertising, and the latter focuses on its human dimension. Modern globalization processes and the development of digital technologies have caused, on the one hand, the totalization of the spread of advertising, in fact, it fills the entire human living space, even intimate. On the other hand, it caused the unification of advertising space, the formation of a global identity, for example, there is usually universal advertising for any country, which appeals to images and symbols that will be understood by members of any ethnic, cultural, social group and community. It highlights the need for research in the interdisciplinary plane, which reflects both practical and theoretical aspects of this social phenomenon, the philosophical understanding of modern media reality, the role and place of advertising in it.
Analysis of recent research and publications.
Various aspects of the advertising phenomenon manifestations are reflected in the works of philosophers Jo-han Huizinga viewed advertising as a playful component of modern culture that irrationalizes it [4, p. 195213]. Roland Barthes, analyzing advertising messages, showed how the preservation and transformation of traditional mythological human consciousness and myth in the culture of modern society took place [1]. Umberto Eco considered advertising as a semiotic formation, as a system of rhetorical figures that perform a number of functions, among which the dominant are emotional and aesthetic [3]. Jean Baudrillard in his theory of simulacra considers advertising as a simulation that replaces the real object of sale in a mythical way, a simulation of caring for a person [2]. Methodology. Such a polyphony of scientific investigations of the advertising problem as a social phenomenon in various fields of humanities, the lack of a holistic system of knowledge in this direction reveal the problem of determining a set of methodological principles for analyzing this social phenomenon. Such a possible methodological basis can be a general theory of communication, as it is an area of scientific knowledge in which there is knowledge of universal laws and mechanisms of information exchange, development of appropriate communication methods, systems and tools, identifying patterns of their functioning. At the same time, we note that, given the significant number of studies of this problem in the subject field of philosophy, it is now necessary to apply the philosophical (especially socio-philosophical) methodology as universal for these scientific disciplines.
Among the variety of methods of studying the social phenomenon of religious communication, which have the philosophical sciences, and which we will use
«COyyOMUM-JMTMaL» 2©2U / PHILOSOPHICAL SCIENCES
27
in our study, we can single out dialectical (to study the factors that determine the dynamics of advertising communication change in the information society); comparative (for a comparative analysis of advertising messages from different countries); phenomenological (for the analysis of advertising as a phenomenon of social reality, which is explained as a result of the activities of individuals and their groups in the process of interpersonal interaction and as a consequence of establishing stable relationships with social institutions); system analysis (to take into account many components of military images in advertising messages). The research was carried out on the basis of the Center for Aesthetic Anthropology and Ethnocultural Studies at Ivan Franko Zhytomyr State University. The volume of analyzed advertising messages is 500.
Interim Conclusions and Discussion.
Myth-making and mythization in the modern communicative space are becoming more and more diverse in terms of expression, because not only communication in online communities or "internet space" is a source of emergence or a mean of rapid spread of new myths. They are now strongly created by social, political and commercial advertising, having ample opportunities to spread such an unusual product in the symbolic production of modern society (especially due to such a media as television or Internet resources) [8, c. 82]. Mythization in the knowledge society changes both the structure of modern myth and the role of knowledge itself.
In the modern information society, the functional purpose of advertising is complicated by the task of not only influencing the daily life of the individual, to form an individual culture of consumption, but also seeks to expand, improve, correlate the world of things, expand the spiritual culture of society with its own symbols, myths, influences aesthetic and information culture [9, p. 149]. Military images are distinguished primarily by a specific area of distribution, as in mass culture there is a dissonance in their production both in the theme of a romantic hero-warrior who defeats all enemies, and condemnation of war, hostilities, in the theme of peace. In the advertising and information space of society, these images have also become widespread, because in the process of symbolic exchange, they carry their own unique associative semantic load, which is to express courage, a sense of security. In this case, advertising messages are less based on information strategies [7, p. 566], and more on the production of mythologems.
The key direction of advertising as a type of social activity is the promotion of the advertised object in the market of goods and services. We agree with Jean Baudrillard, who objected to the reduction of commercial advertising only to sales, emphasizing the role of introducing in the minds of people an integrated image of society, which provides a sense of material goods, which allows to move from a purely informational role of advertising to invisible suggestion, and therefore its purpose is already to manage consumption. The image of the military is used in commercial advertising as an invitation to contract service. This is confirmed by the fact that the cost of military [2, p. 182] advertising has
increased since 1994 [5, p. 222]. The traditional slogans in such advertising are "decent salary", "social security", "career growth".
In this aspect, the competitive nature of advertising is revealed. Advertising as well as technology, publicity, propaganda everywhere promotes the competitive spirit and affords means of satisfying it on an unprecedented scale, but it only appears when trade begins to create fields of activity within which each must try to surpass and outwit his neighbor [4, p. 199200]. In this aspect, military images, on the one hand, are used directly as a demonstration of the model of the individual's professional future. Auxiliary means are the visualization of this model through a series of images of military in uniform, images of military symbols (stripes, insignia, etc.), the soldier's order. As noted R. Barthes, in the advertising image, these signs have a special authority, they are formed with a view to the optimum reading: the advertising image is frank, at least emphatic [1, p .33]. On the other hand, successful competitive positions of servicemen are outlined through prestige markers.
It should be noted that in modern advertising space there are such slogans of sexist content as "real men's work". With regard to gender equality, there is a clear imbalance with the predominance of images of military men. As for the Ukrainian advertising space, it is determined not so much by the stereotype of "war for men" (and this stereotype is not inherent in Ukrainian culture, in which images of women-warriors, women in war, militant women are traditional), but the law under which women until recently were not allowed to engage in some military professions. There are tendencies in the commercials of women soldiers on the principle of interspersed with the general background (e.g., advertising Wojska Obrony Terytorialne, the Armed Forces of Belarus "We are one", the Swiss Armed Forces "Berufe mit Perspektiven", the Armed Forces of Germany "Wir sind das Heer").
The marker of the image of a serviceman in commercial advertising of the army as a profession is machismo with obvious features of brutality. Machism is a technology of producing in mass culture the image of a "real man", ie a man with pronounced and to some extent hyperbolized features of a strong, straightforward man as the quintessence of masculinity. At the same time, such connotations as brutality, rudeness, and aggression are added to the characterization of strength. Therefore, along with the image of professional training of servicemen in specific military specialties, scenes of physical training with the obligatory demonstration of the naked torso and muscle mass are shown. In this context, the effect of becoming a "new man" can be used: joining the armed forces marks the beginning of a new stage of human life, its self-development. Yes, in the advertisement of the Russian Armed Forces "This is the first day of your new life" it is emphasized: "What happened yesterday does not matter. Who you were before, no one cares. Now it is important who you will be today. Do you know what you are capable of? Questions may go unanswered, but will you be able to sleep peacefully afterwards?... Are you ready to break yourself to exhaustion?" And then
28
PHILOSOPHICAL SCIENCES / <«g©yL©(MUM~JOUTMaL» #15102)), 2021
lists the features of "real men" (overcoming pain, scars, etc.), which are acquired during the service.
The most common forms of advertising the army as a professional organization are presentation (including demonstration of capabilities) and advertising-questionnaire. A significant amount of commercial advertising of the contract service is demonstrative in nature and is aimed at depicting different types of troops and the specifics of their activities, combat operations. For example, advertisements of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland demonstrate exercises using ground military equipment, air and navy, as well as military combat missions. The leitmotif in the advertisement of the Armed Forces of Belarus was "with us you will conquer all the elements". The peculiarity of this advertisement is that it depicts an officer who, inviting a conscript to the service, leaves his own office and demonstrates to him his skills in hand-to-hand combat, parachuting, driving equipment, shooting with various types of small arms. The same is true of advertising developed for the ministries of the armed forces of most countries of the world, such as the video of the Austrian Armed Forces "Austrian Army - Bundesheer". Such visualized messages are aimed at producing the mythology "we are strong - they are afraid of us". The use of such forms in the process of myth-making is explained by the appeal to established stereotypical images. As Umberto Eco has pointed out, advertising communication, which is so strongly associated with the need to describe what is learned and familiar, usually uses proven moves and proven techniques [3, p. 187]. Even the most innovative techniques involve the use of traditional stamps. However, it should be noted that the purpose of producing this mythology is not so much a demonstration of aggressive behavior as prejudice, i.e. the formation of public opinion about the security of stability of society.
The specifics of the professional activity of the military mainly involves the implementation of defense functions, which reveals limited public activity and strictly regulated PR-measures. Therefore, the advertising of the armed forces also reflects the idea of "invisible in the work, but always reliable". Thus, the advertisement of the Polish Armed Forces offers the slogan "Czasem niewidoczni. Zawsze obecni". The advertising questionnaire asks the military to give a short answer to the question "why did you go to serve in the army." Along with the utilitarian goals of the service (high salary and full social protection) are proclaimed spiritual and moral (protection of freedom, dignity, security, patriotism). In particular, such advertising was carried out by the Ministry of Defense of Poland -"Zostan zolnierzem Rzeczypospolitej" SPOT-ankieta.
Military action is characterized by a combination of commercial and social advertising through markers of the prestige of the profession and the joint victory over the enemy. Thus, in 2014, a series of videos "Come back alive! Help the battalions of volunteers" and "State program to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine", "Join, together we will win", "Wait for me" were released in the Ukrainian media, in which images and symbols of respect, support, mutual assistance, there is an appeal to feeling of maternal love, to the
value of social security, which are designed to provide the military.
One type of social advertising on the subject of the army is a demonstration of strength. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it does not so much appeal to values as it is designed to show the power of the country's armed forces. The purpose of such advertisements is, on the one hand, to show potential opponents a willingness to resist armed acts of aggression, and on the other - to establish in the minds of the masses faith in their army, a sense of security and safety, which in turn allows civilians to concentrate more on one's own professional activity, organization of leisure, self-development and self-realization. In particular, the advertisement of the Armed Forces of Belarus "We are one" reads: "In moments of peace, in a moment of joy and happiness... we are always ready to help. We are one, we are strong, we are confident in the future!" (We are one. Armed Forces of the Republic Belarus). Such advertising emphasizes the modernity of armaments, the coordination of actions of different types of troops, which is formed in the process of numerous exercises. Therefore, this advertisement usually depicts the technical capabilities of military equipment or large-scale military exercises (e.g., a demonstration video of the exercises "Dragon-17"). The advertisement of the German Armed Forces emphasizes not only the protective function of the army, but also the peacekeeping function, so in the video "Wir sind das Heer" the slogan "We serve Germany professionally - all over the world" ("Wir sind das Heer") is heard. In this context, quests are the actual form of production of "army - force" mythologeme. At the turn of the century, television and web commercials released in the United States were basic training as a kind of quest with stages of execution, such as shooting, teamwork and fire situations. However, despite the fact that copywriting and the direction of art have recently changed, the main strategy of the message remains "Be all you can be" [5, p. 228].
Qualitatively different is the nature of the use of military images in advertising messages about the activities of military formations of territorial defense, volunteer and voluntary movements. The leitmotif of such advertising is "readiness to defend the Fatherland by civilians". The cycle of social advertising aimed at forming public opinion in support of the political decision of the Polish government to establish the Territorial Defense Army is indicative. The main slogan of this type of Armed Forces, and, accordingly, the advertising slogan, is "Always ready, always near!" Advertising is realized through the romanticization of military service with an emphasis on public access, i.e. the possibility of mastering professional skills without basic physical and military training. At the same time, it is demonstrated that they are undergoing combat training, which is not much inferior to the training of servicemen.
The contrast between "civilian and military" in the advertising space can be traced in the depiction of the regular army. Such messages are aimed at actualizing the prestige of the profession, traditionally used not to oppose, but, on the contrary, to emphasize the heredity of professions: for example, in the advertisement of the Belarusian Armed Forces "We are one" depicts a
«COyyOMUM-JMTMaL» 2©2fl / PHILOSOPHICAL SCIENCES
29
woman doctor who becomes a military doctor, boxer -infantry. In the future, they serve together with the military, who have received appropriate military education. The commercials of the Swiss Armed Forces "Berufe mit Perspektiven" and "Lehrberufe der Schweizer Armee" offer specific jobs (car mechanic, computer specialist, cook, carpenter, military police officer and more than 200 professional fields) for civilians (Berufe mit Perspektiven). At the same time, the advertisement clearly states that these positions are equal for both men and women.
In the context of military aggression in Ukraine, the emphasis of this type of advertising on the topic of training defenders on the readiness to defend the homeland, which is realized through the demonstration of images of real servicemen who left civilian professions and mobilized into the armed forces. The main slogan is "We were not born for war, but we are ready to defend the country from enemies with weapons in hand."
Given the high level of public confidence in the army, the images of the military, the plots of hostilities can be used in social advertising on the integration of society, national memory, etc. The authors of the video "Let's light a candle of memory and guard the borders!" through the image of the army's combat readiness and the construction of the associative series "We Remember - We Are Strong" address the theme of the memory of the Holodomor of 1932-33.
In periods of passionary explosions, images of the military in the media serve as markers of national identity (e.g., the video for social advertising "We were. We are. We will be. We are Ukrainians"). In this case, there is the placement of social advertising dedicated to national holidays, especially Independence Day, and involves the use of the image of soldiers as custodians of national symbols. The latter are depicted through paternalistic plots, in particular the following: the father defends the Fatherland while the child sleeps peacefully, and when he returns home he gives the family the most valuable thing - a flag.
It also emphasizes the military traditions of the nation, resilience, readiness for battle, service to the people and the country. The German Armed Forces advertises: "We can fight. We make decisions on the ground. We live in a society. We are universal, modern and attractive". In the Ukrainian advertising space there is a tendency to distinguish between the concepts of "serviceman" as a person who serves in the armed forces and "soldier" as a participant in hostilities. In the second sense, the associative series "heroism", "courage", "steadfastness", "brotherhood", "readiness for self-sacrifice" is tendentiously used.
As a rule, military images reinforce the mythol-ogems of the invincibility of the country's army and the security of the civilian population, which are harmoniously combined in the advertising space. But there is a method of opposition "we (army)" and "they (enemies)" or "you (military)" and "you-enemy (civilian)". This is an advertisement of the Russian Armed Forces "This is the first day of your NEW life", in which men are offered to join the army, outlining their personal traits: "You try to see this in every shadow of your enemy, because without the enemy there is no battle, and
without a fight there is no victory. But in fact the main enemy is you, yesterday you ".
In army advertising and social advertising, which uses military insults, the emphasis tends to be on the military. But you can also use the technique of advertising - focusing on the subject, which becomes a symbol in the process of myth-making. This may be aimed at emphasizing the prestige of the military profession, which is enshrined in socio-cultural symbols: orders, medals, stripes, uniforms (e.g., advertising of the US Armed Forces (United States Army - Symbol of Strength - More than a Uniform)). The key mythology is the invincibility of the army, the continuation of the traditions of the victorious army. In this context, symbolic production produces images that signify victory (flowers (poppies, carnations), army ribbons, emblems, chevrons, weapons). This may be accompanied by mechanisms for romanticizing the war in opposition "courage" - "weakness."
A qualitatively different aspect is the symboliza-tion of the social significance of the army. Thus, in the advertisement of the Armed Forces of Ukraine "Bear" such a subject is a plush toy - a bear of a serviceman's daughter. The hero says: "This is an ordinary bear, but I am ready to give my life to protect those who play with it" (Ukrainian social advertising Armed Forces of Ukraine, Bear). And the main slogan of this video is "Everyone has things more expensive than life. Protect the most valuable" Symbols in advertising allow to actualize the attention of the recipient on the semantic features of the advertised product or service. Symboliza-tion allows you to evoke the necessary associations associated with the army, military service, to remind about a familiar object from the living environment of the individual.
The image of the military was used in social advertising of a political nature to actualize democratic values, which is reflected in the slogan "Vote! We will cover!" In this advertisement, the emphasis is not on the need to vote, but on the state's guarantee of citizens' exercise of their voting rights, even in conditions of armed confrontation. Social advertising was not intended to be political.
Conclusions. Military images are the component of myth-making by means of advertising, they carry their own unique associative semantic load, which consists in the expression of courage, a sense of security. The image of the military is used in commercial advertising as an invitation to contract service through, first, the production of mythologems "we are strong - we are afraid", "invisible in work, but always reliable", "army - strength", "invincibility of the army", "continuation of the traditions of the victorious army", secondly, the use of the image of soldiers as custodians of national symbols, thirdly, the visualization of images of soldiers in uniform, images of military symbols, fourthly, symbolizing the social significance of the army. A special marker of the image of a serviceman in commercial advertising of the army as a profession can be machismo with frank features of brutality.
30
PHILOSOPHICAL SCIENCES / «COyyOMUM-JMTMaL» #15«, 2021
References:
1. Barthes, R. (1977). Rhetoric of the Image. In Image, Music, Text; ed. and trans. Stephen Heath, New York: Hill and Wang. 32 - 51.
2. Baudrillard, J. (2020). The System of Objects, London, New York: VERSO.
3. Eco, U. (2016). La struttura assente: La ricerca semiotica e il metodo strutturale [The absent structure: Semiotic research and the structural method]. Milano: La Nave di Teseo.
4. Huizinga, J. (2014). Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play-Element of Culture. Mansfield Centre, CT: Martino Publishing.
5. Mavor, A., Sackett, P. (Editor) (2003). Military advertising and recruiting In Attitudes, Aptitudes, and Aspirations of American Youth: Implications for Military Recruitment, Washington: National Academies Press, 218 - 248. https://doi.org/10.17226/10478.
6. Polishchuk, O. (2017). Dylemat «toler-ancja/atolerancja» w warunkach konfliktu wojennego a
kwestia artystycznej racjonalnosci neomitu [The dilemma of "tolerance / atolerance" in the conditions of a war conflict and the issue of artistic rationality of the neomitic]. In Wojna / Pokoj: Humanistyka wobec wyzwan wspolczesnosci /red: R. Sapenko, P. Pochyly. Zielona Gora: Morpho, 647 - 672.
7. Sejin, P., Shoieb, Z., Taylor, R. (2017). Message Strategies, Military Recruitment Advertising: A Research Note. Armed Forces & Society, 43 (3), 56673. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327X16642037.
8. C™cap, M. B. (2018). Mi^iHHe Ta Mi$i3ama b Megia npocropi i peK^aMi: TeopeTHKO-MeTOgogorinm npo6^eMH. [Mythical and Mythization in Media Space and Advertising: Theoretical and Methodological Problems] yKparncbKa no^omcTHKa. 15. 76-84.
9. Slyusar, V., Koval, V. (2020). Advertising in the modern urban space: a socio-philosophical analysis. Zhytomyr Ivan Franko State University Journal. Philosophical Sciences. 2 (88), 146-156. https://doi.org/10.35433/Philosophi-calSciences.2(88).2020.146-156/.
