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Vol. 8 No. 2 (2020)
Space and Culture, India

Special Articles

The Language of Power in the Present-Day Digital Media Discourse and Its Effect on Young People’s Consciousness

https://doi.org/10.20896/saci.vi0.692

Published 2020-08-01

  • Alla Guslyakova
    • ,
  • Nina Guslyakova
    • ,
  • Nailya Valeeva
    • ,
  • Irina Vashunina
    • ,
  • Maria Rudneva
    • ,
  • Julia Zakirova

Alla Guslyakova
RUDN University; Associate Professor of the Department of Contrastive Linguistics, Institute of Foreign Languages, Moscow State Pedagogical University

Nina Guslyakova
South Ural State Humanitarian Pedagogical University

Nailya Valeeva
RUDN University

Irina Vashunina
Russian Foreign Trade Academy, Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation

Maria Rudneva
RUDN University

Julia Zakirova
RUDN University

Abstract

This study focuses on the notion of power as a way of conceptualisation, representation and functioning in the Russian and English-speaking media discourse and its role in the life of the younger generation of the third millennium. Power and its language have always remained an actual research question of interdisciplinary scientific analysis. However, studying young people’s linguistic and paralinguistic perception of power in the era of digitalisation becomes extremely important due to an empowering role young adults have started playing in modern society employing new media and their discursive communication there. The study regards the theoretical background of the phenomenon of power, based on A. Gramsci’s hegemonic approach. The authors of the research suggest that the media discourse is a hegemonic form of power that maintains its position through the elaboration of a particular worldview, which makes a significant impact on young individuals, the so-called net-generation. The study relies on free-associative and graphic experiments to analyse and perceive “power” concept and its influence on young individuals’ consciousness. Results indicate that both Russian and English-speaking media discourse represents “power” through the prism of anthroponyms as well as toponyms. Besides, the findings of the free-associative experiment, conducted among young adults, demonstrated the dominance of the lexical units belonging to the same grammatical class of words as the stimulus word “power”. Furthermore, a graphic experiment revealed young people’s emotional evaluations of power in media discourse communication. As such, the results suggest that “power” is a natural, complex and multifaceted linguacultural and social phenomenon realised through a variety of linguistic and paralinguistic means, and it produces a dualistic effect on young people’s consciousness through their interaction in the media discourse space.

Keywords

Media Discourse, Toponyms, Consciousness, Free Associative and Graphic Experiments, Power, Young People

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Author Biography

Alla Guslyakova

Associate Professor of the Department of Foreign Languages, Ecological Faculty

Nina Guslyakova

Professor of the Department of Technology and Psychological and Pedagogical Disciplines, Faculty of Science and Technology, South Ural State Humanitarian Pedagogical University, Russian Federation, Email: 812637@mail.ru

Nailya Valeeva

Professor, Head of the Department of Foreign Languages, Ecological Faculty, RUDN University, Russian Federation,  Email: 204271@mail.ru

Irina Vashunina

Professor, Russian Foreign Trade Academy, Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, Russian Federation, Email: 735914@inbox.ru

Maria Rudneva

Associate Professor of the Department of Foreign Languages, Ecological Faculty, RUDN University, Russian Federation, Email: 184605@inbox.ru

Julia Zakirova

Associate Professor of the Department of Foreign Languages, Ecological Faculty, RUDN University, Russian Federation, Email: 648096@mail.ru

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