The European Proceedings of

Social and Behavioural Sciences

EpSBS
www.europeanproceedings.com e-ISSN: 2357-1330

DOI: 10.15405/epsbs.2021.11.55

SCTCMG 2021
International Scientific Conference «Social and Cultural Transformations in the
Context of Modern Globalism»

MANIPULATION OF MASS CONSCIOUSNESS AS A

PHENOMENON OF THE INFORMATION SOCIETY

Chernikova Valentina Evgenievna (a)*, Parsieva Larisa Kasbulatovna (b),

Taisaeva Bella Maksimovna (c), Ramazanova Saida Rakipovna (d),
Moskalenko Darya Nikolaevna (e)
*Corresponding author

(a) Institute of Friendship of the Peoples of the Caucasus, 7, Marx Ave., Stavropol, Russia, chervalen5@rambler.ru
(b) North Ossetian State University, 44–46, Vatutina Str., Vladikavkaz, Russia, parsieva_larisa@mail.ru
(c) North Ossetian State University, 44–46, Vatutina Str., Vladikavkaz, Russia, btaisaeva@mail.ru
(d) Dagestan State University, 43-a, M. Gadjiev Str., Makhachkala, Russia, saida955@mail.ru
(e) Southern Federal University, 105/42, Bolshaya Sadovaya Str., Rostov-on-Don, Russia, damoskalenko@sfedu.ru

Abstract

Manipulating people's minds is one of the most serious and widely discussed problems of our time. This
is because in today's information civilization, the phenomenon of manipulation of mass consciousness
through information technology has taken on a total character. The information society forms a global
information space providing free access to information resources and making the life of modern man
much easier. At the same time, there are negative trends related to the social conflict between producers
and consumers of information. Influenced by social, political, economic and cultural factors, this conflict
leads to an increasing role for manipulation of mass consciousness and creates the preconditions for a
media reality that makes it difficult to adequately reflect reality. Due to the increasing technological
possibilities of manipulation, the rate of manipulative influence of information on the mass consciousness
in the information society is increasing, which generates the problem of information security of the
individual and society proved that at the present stage it is possible to view the process of manipulation of
mass consciousness as a system of psychological influence aimed at planting an illusory worldview.
Manipulation as a form of covert influence on consciousness, relates to the lack of free will of the
individual and his own decision-making. The results of the study focus on an in-depth scientific analysis
of socio-cultural processes in the context of the global informatization of modern society.

2357-1330 © 2021 Published by European Publisher.

Keywords: Information, information society, manipulation, mass communication

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0
Unported License, permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is
properly cited.
https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2021.11.55
Corresponding Author: Chernikova Valentina Evgenievna
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of the Conference
eISSN: 2357-1330

1. Introduction

The creation and improvement of information technology leads to an intense flow of information.
The information environment creates the conditions for manipulation of the mass consciousness, which
can lead to a distorted view of the world and result in people acting in unpredictable ways. This can be a
threat to public safety and the self-preservation of society as a whole.
Society is permeated by a whole network of different information channels and communication
systems, saturated with its own information industry. Politics, production and energy, finance, science
and education, media – all depend on the intensity of information exchange, completeness, timeliness,
reliability of information. Human aspiration to possess information as a measure for organizing the
surrounding world and eliminating uncertainty of knowledge about the world arises from his
subconscious desire, not only to survive, to carry out all inherent processes of life, but also to raise his
social, material status, to enrich himself spiritually and culturally, to acquire new knowledge. At the same
time, the increasing role of the information component in communication processes has led to an increase
in the role of manipulative techniques.
In the information space, the manipulation of the consciousness of the masses proceeds through
the control of information and communication media, which determine the rules and stereotypes of
human behaviour and activity and serve as the main means of manipulation. As a covert influence on the
mass consciousness, manipulation usually aims to create inertia in the masses. This results in an increase
of negative tendencies related to the formation of stereotypes in the mass consciousness, a change in
values and lifestyle.

2. Problem Statement

This article explores the problem of mass consciousness manipulation in the context of the global
informatization of society. The main problem involves solving the following tasks: to characterize
manipulation as a type of psychological influence on the consciousness of an individual and consider the
main theoretical approaches to the study of this phenomenon; to identify the role of information and
modern mass communication media as manipulators of mass consciousness; to consider mechanisms of
manipulation of public consciousness; to show that in modern Russian conditions there is also a problem
of communication manipulation both by society as a whole and by individual social.

3. Research Questions

Reveal the essence of manipulation and its main characteristics. Examine the role of information
and communication technology in manipulating mass consciousness. Identify the specifics of
manipulation of mass consciousness in the Russian socio-cultural space.

3.1. The essence of manipulation and its main characteristics

The concept of 'manipulation' is at the heart of contemporary socio-humanitarian knowledge. So,

Bessonov understands manipulation as a form of spiritual influence, covert domination implemented by

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Corresponding Author: Chernikova Valentina Evgenievna
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eISSN: 2357-1330

violent means, control over a person's inner world, his spirituality (Bessonov, 2008). The researcher
assumes that manipulative actions can emerge only in a developed society, where people find it difficult
to adapt to social realities and need to incorporate into social life and obey its rules. The implementation
of these processes is impossible without manipulation.
Most scholars agree that manipulation is necessary for the existence of society, thus demonstrating
a positive attitude towards manipulation. For example, Ortega y Gasset noted that society can be divided
into the masses, who have no opinion of their own, and a select few. "Mass is mediocre... Today the
entire world has become a mass" (Ortega y Gasset, 2005, p. 11). Since, according to the philosopher, the
masses are unable to think theoretically, they lack the capacity to adequately perceive reality. As such, it
is necessary to entrust the shaping of public opinion to leaders who can manipulate the emotions and
behaviour of the masses, thereby preventing anarchy in the state.
Dotsenko sees manipulation as 'psychological influence aimed at changing the direction of another
person's activity' (2003).
There are certain personality traits that are most vulnerable to manipulation: underdeveloped
logical thinking, sensitivity, low mental alertness, heightened emotionality, indecisiveness, lack of self-
esteem, feelings of inferiority, shyness, trustfulness. It is difficult to influence a confident person, able to
stand up for themselves and has a formed view of the surrounding reality (Goncharov, 2015).
A key feature of the phenomenon of manipulation is its covert nature. The ultimate goal of the
manipulator includes: to gain a one-sided advantage; to form a specific attitude towards the object to
achieve their own ends; and to mislead the addressee as to the nature of the information presented to
them. As a result, the attitude of the object of manipulation towards reality makes it possible to control
mass consciousness in the way desired by the manipulator.
Manipulation is a phenomenon that has occurred at different stages of the social development
process. Even in ancient China, the manipulative approach was incorporated into the art of secretly
controlling the enemy. The art has been handed down from generation to generation and has been
carefully concealed. The advice of the ancient Chinese general and strategist Sun Tzu, the founder of the
school of military philosophy, to government officials was that the enemy should be misled by various
tricks and then attacked (Sun, 2011). The phenomenon of manipulation was theorised in the writings of
Machiavelli. The author believed that maintaining a strong state required manipulative policies to help
keep the self-interest of citizens in balance. Throughout the history of social development, there has been
a constant evolution in the techniques and methods of manipulation.
Modern science holds the view that manipulation is a phenomenon that has no history and reflects
only the characteristics of our time. When considering the position of manipulation in modern society,
Lanina believes that any democratic state has only de jure principles of respect for human rights; de facto,
there is a systematic and legitimate violation of them. According to the scholar, the reason for this is
competitive rivalry pursued by covert methods and related to the desire to gain unilateral advantage,
usually harming the opposing side. This pattern is common in most social practices (Lanina, 2010).
The informatization of society not only gives people free access to information, but also increases
the negative tendencies associated with changes in values and lifestyles and the increasing manipulation
of mass consciousness.

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Corresponding Author: Chernikova Valentina Evgenievna
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of the Conference
eISSN: 2357-1330

3.2. Information and communication technology as a means of manipulating mass

consciousness

In the information society context, the main value is information, which Luhmann defines as a
complex and multifaceted phenomenon that needs to be considered from different scientific perspectives.
The scholar offers his own interpretation of information, noting that information is a form that
presupposes a certain structure involving its own elements, i.e. events. Events have a temporal
characteristic, past events do not disappear, they merely transform the content of the structure: "time itself
forces the distinction between meaning and information, although all reproduction of meaning is through
information". (Luhmann, 2017, p. 72).
Many different communication technologies are emerging in the information society and serving
as transmitters of information. One type of communicative interaction is known as transactional media
communication. Transactional media communication involves an interpersonal communication
relationship that allows each party to act simultaneously as a sender, receiver or transmitter of
information.
We can divide all communicative situations where mass consciousness is subject to information-
psychological influence into three groups. The first group includes such communicative conditions that
involve not only direct interaction and direct exchange of information, but also the indirect one through
telephone, post, telegraph, Internet.
The second group encompasses the communication sphere, where the mass consciousness is
subject to informational and psychological influences from a single communicator or group of
communicators. Public events (rallies, meetings, shows) involve one-way communication, which is
carried out according to the scheme: "communicator – audience".
The third group includes a set of communicative situations characterized by a direct informational
impact on the mass consciousness. This comes from watching TV programmes, reading the press, and
interacting with various mass media.
In these situations, mass consciousness is influenced from the simple (first group) to the complex
(third group). It is important to note that the informational impact on consciousness through media is the
best way to manipulate the mass consciousness because the individual in this situation does not quite feel
the direct influence of the media. The main characteristic of the information age is the inclusiveness and
omnipresence of modern mass media. Schiller believes that the information society best meets the needs
of developed capitalism. Information is the means through which people enter the sphere of consumption,
considering it to be the main mode of existence in society (Schiller, 1980). In considering information
culture as a culture of signs, Baudrillard noted that information technology provides the consumer with a
lot of information that interprets facts and turns them into a kind of signs-simulacra. The excess of
information causes a kind of 'bifurcation' in human consciousness, as a person is unable to adequately
absorb all the information (Baudrillard, 2000). Individuals become impersonal masses who, according to
Baudrillard, constitute a silent majority, a faceless crowd led by movers and shakers. This situation is an
ideal environment for manipulation.
Webster, analysing the causes of manipulative actions in modern society, points to the struggle
between different powerful groups pursuing their own interests and seeking to strengthen their position.

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Corresponding Author: Chernikova Valentina Evgenievna
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of the Conference
eISSN: 2357-1330

The leaders of these groups seek to present their personal 'narrow' interests to the individual as interests
allegedly in the interests of the masses. Thus, the apparatus of 'managed mass creation' does not pursue
humanistic goals and ideas, but its own hidden interests (Webster, 2004).

3.3. Specific features of manipulation of mass consciousness in the Russian socio-cultural

space

The current state of cultural and social processes in Russia is marked by the enormous influence of
information culture. Public relations practitioners use a variety of PR techniques in their work, directly or
indirectly influencing the public consciousness. The analysis of image communication techniques
presented in the literature suggests the following signs of manipulation: substitution of concepts,
uncontrolled source of information, use of emotions instead of arguments, focus on fast-moving subjects,
lack of alternatives to opinions, etc.
In this context, the problem of communication manipulation, both by society as a whole and by
individual social groups and individuals, has become particularly relevant for Russian studies. PR is one
of the most important tools for organizing social relations, a method for constructing social reality, and
has an important place in culture. There are a number of psychological defence mechanisms to limit
manipulative influence on a person, including:
 the time-lag effect where an unpopular idea is a strong irritant;
 the sleeping person effect where information is forgotten faster than the source;
 the boomerang effect is the opposite result;
 the privatization effect whereby the stronger the flow of information, the less responsive it is
(Bulgakova et al., 2018).
Methods of manipulation have long been widespread in different cultures. In Russian society, they
are largely related to national, socio-cultural norms and mentality. Mentality can inhibit or facilitate the
spread of manipulation. A specific feature of manipulative influence is its covert, hidden nature to the
addressee. It is managing people by imposing ideas, attitudes, motives, stereotypes of behaviour to the
advantage of the manipulator. A number of advantages the manipulator has over the addressee determine
the effectiveness of manipulative influence.
Thus, manipulation generates a situation when there is an external purpose to the communication
and no open explanation of it for all participants in the communication. It is a tool of psychological
influence that aims to change the direction of other people's activity, leading to the covert arousal of
another person's intentions that do not coincide with their existing desires.

4. Purpose of the Study

Based on this review of the subject field and the objectives of the article, the aim is to investigate
the main characteristics of manipulation of mass consciousness in the global informatization of modern
society.

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Corresponding Author: Chernikova Valentina Evgenievna
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of the Conference
eISSN: 2357-1330

5. Research Methods

The methodological basis for this study was the fundamental teachings presented in the works of
domestic and foreign scholars in the field of information society and information culture, mass
consciousness and mass communication. We have used the work of Moscovici (2006) and Dotsenko
(2003) to explore the specificities of the process of manipulating mass consciousness. The works of
Bulgakova et al. (2018); Bryant and Thompson (2004); Chumikov (2008); Lanina (2010); Markov (2005)
have played an important role in studying the role of mass communications in the process of manipulating
influence on personality. Their writings present various aspects of shaping public opinion and the
purposeful influence of information on the mass consciousness to achieve specific goals in social, cultural
and political relations. Modern researchers have contributed greatly to developing the doctrine of
manipulation of mass consciousness. So, Vojtasik pays special attention to the problems of propaganda
and the nature and functions of propaganda processes (Wojtasik, 1981). Noel-Neumann has analysed the
relationship between mass communication, interpersonal communication and how individuals relate their
opinions to those of others (Noel-Neumann, 2006). The above works help to reveal the multifaceted
nature of the process of manipulating mass consciousness, its specific features and mechanisms of
functioning.
While analysing the characteristics of manipulation of mass consciousness, we used a wide range
of methodological tools. The basis of the research is the philosophical approach used to study social
phenomena. The historical method allowed considering the phenomenon of manipulation in evolution.
The comparative method enabled the comparison of similar processes from different periods, forms and
methods of media influence on public consciousness, as well as the views of different domestic and
foreign philosophers. This article is a comprehensive analysis of the problem of manipulation of
consciousness, so it uses both methods of philosophical science and data from cultural, political and
sociological research.

6. Findings

Based on our research into the characteristics of manipulation of mass consciousness in the
information society, we arrive at the following results.
1. The emergence of the information society is leading to an increase in the volume of information
disseminated and in the complexity of the content of the social information environment. The means of
transmission, form and content of incoming information have enormous potential for direct and covert
(manipulative) influence on people's consciousness.
2. Throughout the history of society, manipulation of mass consciousness has been an important
factor in social management, but it is particularly valuable to study the phenomenon of manipulation
nowadays, with the emergence of the information society.
3. Manipulation of mass consciousness is the covert influence of the media on human
consciousness. Its purpose is to change the values of individuals and groups to control their behaviour and
manage their activities.

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Corresponding Author: Chernikova Valentina Evgenievna
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of the Conference
eISSN: 2357-1330

4. Modern mass communication has enormous power to influence the consciousness of the
masses. Everyone can protect themselves from manipulative influences to a large extent. The positive
effect will depend on the individual: the level of education, the development of critical thinking, and the
desire to make sense of things seen.
5. In today's context of Russian adaptation to globalization and informatization, the phenomenon
of manipulation requires more than ever a productive scientific understanding. Knowing the techniques,
methods and ways of manipulating the mass consciousness that have been used since antiquity will
undoubtedly help us to navigate better in today's information environment.
6. The pace of the manipulative influence of information on public consciousness and the
individual in the information society is inevitably increasing, which makes it important to investigate the
manipulative potential of the information environment and the means of information transmission,
especially through media communication.

7. Conclusion

The analysis of the manipulation of mass consciousness in the information society has shown the
importance and necessity of studying the issue. The study points out that the information society, as a
complex, self-organising socio-cultural system, besides positive trends, also brings negative ones into the
life of social actors. The influence of information technology on society and the formation of a media
reality that substitutes objective reality have expanded the possibilities for manipulating the mass
consciousness. This became possible because the main driver of human and social development was the
production of an information product rather than a material product, and the role of information in the
material product itself had increased. In today's society, the information environment has a manipulative
effect on the mass consciousness. At the macro level, mass communication media are responsible for the
dissemination of information within the information environment and form a special kind of secondary
reality, relating to objective reality, – the 'media reality'. The informational impact of media-reality on
people's consciousness, thinking, feelings and emotional sphere is no less than that of objective reality.
Using techniques of socio-psychological manipulation, the mass media form elements of the media reality
of the regional information environment of individual states. The media picture of the world is a product
of manipulating the public psychology of mass audiences by the media which substitutes objective reality
and makes it difficult to cognize adequately. The main reason for the formation of media reality lies in the
fact that part of the media is deliberately created at the behest of various influential stakeholders to
manipulate the mass consciousness. Scholars agree that manipulation of mass consciousness cannot be
the norm, but is instead evidence of a social shift "away from the idea of an informed and rational society
towards manipulation and public relations techniques" (Rice & Rice, 2014).

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Corresponding Author: Chernikova Valentina Evgenievna
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of the Conference
eISSN: 2357-1330

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