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6PROGRESSIVENESS OF MASS MEDIA IN THE COURSE OF YOUTH INTEGRATION INTO THE POLITICAL SPHERE OF SOCIETY
Abstract
This paper analyzes the problems of interaction between media, public authorities and civil society to provide positive models of integration of the Russian youth in the political sphere of society. The author argues the role of mass media as the main communicator between civil society and government institutions. The paper presents the viewpoint of the efficiency of modern media to serve public control. The author puts forward the arguments that the effectiveness of such indicators is availability, progressive, independent media. Public confidence in the media depends on their independence and priority information. The obvious facts, that the information field of the media is intended to reflect compliance with the political views of young people's political reality are given. The author analyzes the ways of influencing the media on the formation of political consciousness and political potential of young people. The conditions to avoid informational ideological pressure on the young people are revealed. The author has made suggestions on optimizing the impact of the media information on the process of integration of the youth in the socio-political practices of the Russian society.
Keywords
youth, politics, political culture, media, political participation, civil society
AUTHOR Ksenia Ivanova
PhD student Department of Political Science Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration
Oryol, Russia [email protected]
Mass media act as one of the major political institutes in modern political process of the Russia. Though mass media are neutral in itself, results and consequences of its in interests of any actor in many respects depend on the purposes they are duplicated.
It is reasoned that the youth uses the maximum quantity of various sources of information, thereby it shows openness to alternative mass media. These circumstances demand strengthening of democratic control of mass media of both traditional (press, radio, television) and new electronic format (network editions, media market the Runet, etc.).
If to consider the youth as an object and subject of the state youth policy, it is necessary to reveal its specifics. I. M. Ilyinsky, the Shaft. A. Lukov., P. A. Merkulov and other scientists wrote about distinctive signs and institutional fundamentals of the state youth policy in Russia.
We shares V.A. Lukov's opinion that the public youth policy is the important characteristic of civil society. In modern Russia "it is planned, than influences political and sociocultural process" (Lukov, 2013). Despite that, the youth policy of public associations, political parties, and other subjects of public youth policy is a little limited to their legal opportunities. It has the important direction in development of a certain ideal model of a youth cohort, which the organization seeks to present to all society as a
standard. "The new calls connected with changes on the world scene, the new purposes of social and economic development of Russia demand system updating, development of tasks and mechanisms of the state youth policy .... The Russian youth shows an active position on development of civil society more brightly. It forms mechanisms of creation of the public benefits" (Merkulov, Malik and Eliseev, 20l 5).
Considering the historical experience of Russia, the state always took over civil initiatives up, however modern conditions demand transfer of these initiatives to system organizational structure. An important vector of Russian development at the present stage is formation of civil society with participation of the younger generation. A condition of its functioning is presence of the people capable to interact with other key communities for the sake of the uniform purposes, interests, values. Today it is important to be ready to subordinate the private interests and ways of their achievement to the general welfare expressed in precepts of law and traditions.
We are convinced that it is easier to bring up the active subject of civil society of new Russia at young age, when the personality is actually formed and there is a formation of basic values and installations.
Successful performance of mass media's main function is formation of public opinion. It assumes existence of feedback with audience. Absence of anopportunity to impact on the course conducted by the state, to make decisions on this or that problem accumulates tension in society. Weakness of mass media as a feedback mechanism from society to the power and from the power to society "does unstable and unprotected all public situations, all processes of formation of public opinion" (Smirnov, 2001). If mass media apply for a rank of "fourth estate", they have to become the guarantor of strict observance of the rights of all citizens besides government bodies of all levels.
Considering formation of qualitative other system of mass media, there was a need of regulation of its impact on political consciousness and behavior of youth with the assistance of such structures, as government bodies, local governments and institutes of civil society. In the conditions of transformation of socio-political and economic spheres, power structures need to realize such policy, which the paramount tasks are strengthening of the democratic rights and freedoms of citizens, their participations in country government, strengthening trust to authorities and methods of the pursued policy, independent character of new mass media, their uninvolvement, commitment to the principles of service to interests of society.
We come to understanding that government have to be guided by the principles providing establishment of constructive dialogue and partnership with institutional structures of civil society:
- firstly, social and spiritual orientation of citizens. Here are the main actions of policy, which have to be based on social and spiritual interests of citizens, lability of consciousness of the younger generation;
- secondly, ensuring public financing, support and control of such spheres, as culture and art. In turn information material, which can harm to psychological and moral health of young citizens, needs to be kept under rigid control with restriction of air time;
- thirdly, equality of interests in mass media. Information policy of the state has to consider equal interests of all institutional structures and subjects participating in information activities;
- fourthly, information openness of public authorities policy. In this regard, it is necessary to provide open discussion of the main events held by the state with involvement of youth consultative structures that is the most actual in conditions post-reforming.
Using various technologies of impact on citizens through the state mass media, the Russian power gives a priority to realization of informing the public on the purposes, intentions, actions, but does not use propaganda processing as old tradition. Powerful,
professional mass media, which is urged to inform the population, is necessary for the democratic, constitutional state. But not the one, which controls and mobilizes public consciousness.
To inform does not mean to take a detached position. Activity of mass media as the political activity needs the system organization. Under it we mean its controllability, accountability to both governmental bodies, and institutes of civil society in that part, where the questions of the state construction and national policy are raised. It is about the need of the obligatory account of socially significant problems of the state (economic, national and territorial, ethnic, ecological, social etc.), and problems of interaction between mass media, the state and society.
It is necessary to admit evident the fact that any power is interested that the course conducted by it found approval and support among citizens. Implementation of the power always differs in strong need for self-justification by means of the reference to the principles of the legitimation, which have to be fixed publicly by mass media throughout activity of power institutes. Whereas "use of illegitimate political technologies poses serious threat and it is a serious obstacle on the way of development of democracy in our country" (Tuchkov, 2002).
The term "illegitimate political technologies" is applied rather widely recently. Modern mass media actively operates it, often without attaching significance to context. But the consequences lead to increasing mistrust of citizens to institutes of the power, indifference to their initiatives, dissonance in interaction between civil society and state. These circumstances force to designate the main criteria of legitimacy of political technologies.
The legitimate political technologies are those, which correspond to the current legislation and installations of public morals. Here the system of professional certification and tradition of internal self-organization of the market in the field of political consultation are important. It is necessary to avoid direct import of existing west procedures, which do not correspond to the Russian reality. It is important to neutralize attempts of large PR agencies to monopolize the market, having established control of licensing (4, page 27).
Efficiency of mass media, i.e. its administrative function, is based on the following dependence: forms and methods of public authorities' activity, political institutes considerably depend on level and potential of citizens' informing. Thus, adoption of these or those political decisions by the power has to be legitimated through mass media to get public support that will provide a high rate of trust to a conducted political policy.
It is necessary to emphasize that in conditions of transformation of the Russian society, mass media are urged to provide public control over the state institutes and subjects of the political relations. The carried-out reforms have to lead to legislative division of all mass media according to a form of organization. And mass media has to be classified and shared on public, state, party, private, popular scientific and advertising mass media. It is about pluralism of mass media.
Pluralism of mass media is one of fundamental bases of development of civil society that provides realization of the rights for free speech, without what it is not necessary to speak about public control. Thanks to legislative division of the public and engaged mass media, authenticity and efficiency of information power as a public institute would be reached. The created information field would allow each type of mass media to provide information according to the orientation, and its efficiency would be defined by demand and ability to estimate these products from citizens, including the younger generation, according to political reality.
The uncontrollable directly authorities of mass media would allow to avoid use of administrative and political resources for public opinion manipulation. Then society would
have a real opportunity of identification of mass media and the institute, whose interest it serves.
Civil society through mass media as main communicator has to have an opportunity to control openness of activity of government institutions. Here the main principle is availability of information to citizens, except the information, which is regulated by the law about the secret acts. In turn, mass media have to receive official information in interests of society, but not for formation of image of the power and political parties. The trust of citizens to mass media directly depends on their independence and priority of information. Thus, the main directions of mass media on optimization of information influence have to become:
- ensuring priority in the information sphere of inquiries of civil society, but not certain officials.
- carrying out public discussions on the most topical issues of the all-Russian and regional agenda with inclusion in discussion of experts and the public;
- reliability, completeness, goodness and objectivity of information on activity of authorities of various levels and branches;
- providing feedbackfrom TV viewers and readers thanks to information materials in regional and municipal mass media;
- equal access of various political forces and public institutional structures to official information.
Progressive installations of young Russians are capable to break through an uncontested stream of propaganda. It already serves as a sure proof of youth potential. Young citizens (especially from the large cities) to a lesser extent, than the senior generation, are included in regular process of hours-long viewing of television. They visit film screenings, exhibitions and museums, read more books, use computer more actively, so they are more open for new information and samples of "others".
It is reasoned that mass media is one of the most effective tools on formation of valuable orientations of young people. "Opinions of young people concerning influence of mass media on their political behavior and consciousness disperse: nearly a half of respondents consider that it has influence, and other half denies it. First, it is connected with trust level to the mass media, and secondly - the youth seeks to show independence and non-involvement in the views and acts" (Malik and Mel'nikov, 2015).
Here it is important to note that information intended for youth has to contain minimum assessment and comments, which are capable to manipulate consciousness of young citizens. Selection of material has to be based on the principle of independence of influence of political elite to avoid the information ideological pressure upon youth. Considering features lability of consciousness and variability of political orientations of a youth cohort, young citizens should be brought up politically.
In our opinion, its realization can be reached by solution of such main objectives as:
- statement of results of the scientific analysis of youth problems on the basis of political, economic, sociological, psychological researches including practical recommendations and consultations of experts in the field of the state youth policy in the form of the concept for youth problems solution;
- receiving, accumulation and enhancement of scientific knowledge effective for practical use in the course of youth socialization at various stages of this process,
- formation and development of new system of youth consulting and information-analytical ensuring activity of bodies for youth affairs in regions;
- providing optimum ratio of the statistical and problem-analytical information provided to bodies for affairs of youth through introduction of the new information technologies based on broad application of modern scientific methods and computer equipment;
- active use of information bases of bodies for youth affairs and information-analytical centers in respect of the provision of youth in the region, and also ensuring equal access to similar information of representatives of the youth organizations, students of the highest and educational institutions and colleges.
Considering the previously mentioned, it is necessary to conclude that joint activity of public authorities, institutes of civil society and mass media has to be aimed at providing positive model of integration of youth to the political sphere:
- cooperation with mass media according to the programs forming and developing patriotic values, including feeling of love to the country and the native land, pride of the history, responsibility for destiny;
- promotion and replication of world achievements in economy, science, culture, business, society, sport. Familiarizing of youth with values of universal culture, acceleration of processes of its integration into the world community;
- counteraction to distribution of ideas of extremism, social, national and religious intolerance;
- adoption of the special acts determining volumes of the social advertising directed on promotion of the state youth policy, implementation of its programs and projects;
- creation of the national youth media holding including editorial offices of the all-Russian newspapers and magazines for children, youth, family, national Internet portal for youth, edition of children's and youth programs, federal TV, radio channels.
We believe that development of the concept of mutual obligations of authorities and youth is impossible without independent analysis of social-economic and political position of young citizens in the region and the country in general. The younger generation needs information bearing the truth about policy, life of society and person as the subject of creation of strong civil society. For restriction of activities of mass media for production and distribution of information directed on manipulation with political consciousness of citizens and, especially, young ones, it is necessary to carry out tasks of association of society and state efforts in creation the uniform national ideology. Then youth, leaning on progressive mass media, would be more able to avoid the problems arising in the course of its political socialization and integration into the sphere of political life.
REFERENCES
1. Lukov Val. A. (2013) O sushchnosti molodezhnoi politiki i ee bazovykh polozheniiakh [About essence of youth policy and its basic provisions]//Znanie. Ponimanie. Umenie. no 5. - pp. 4-8. (In Russ.).
2. Malik E.N. and Mel'nikov A.V. (2015) Stanovlenie politicheskoi sub "ektnosti rossiiskoi molodezhi v usloviiakh sovremennosti. [Formation of political subjectivity of the Russian youth in the conditions of the present]//Srednerusskii vestnik obshchestvennykh nauk. no 2 (38). pp.7076. (In Russ.).
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