Specifics of Student Youth's Social Perception of Mass Media

In interdisciplinary research, mass media is primarily considered as a factor of shaping social views on a particular social phenomenon. Meanwhile, the media themselves can act as an object of social views. This article presents the results of an empirical study of the structure of young people’s social perceptions of mass media. This study was done on opinions of students of Saratov State National Research University, involving the sample number of 1,020 people aged 17-23. The empirical material has been collected using the methods of verbal experiment and unfinished sentences. The obtained data have been processed with the help of a prototypical analysis proposed by P. Verges. To control the results obtained, we applied individual conversations, analysis of online discussions, and an author’s questionnaire. The results showed that the concepts of "television" and "Internet" are in the same ambivalent field of perception, yet in different emotional backgrounds. Television is not perceived by respondents as an indispensable attribute of life,but is rather assessed as a type of media that plays an entertaining role, broadcasts news and possesses great manipulative and advocating capabilities. The Internet is perceived by respondents more positively – as a personally meaningful space that translates certain meanings and values, also implementing various significant functions.

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