- 11/02/2013
- Posted by: essay
- Category: Free essays
Policies targeted at influencing public opinion assume knowledge of popular sentiment, knowledge of reality. Hence, on the one hand, information and psychological impact on all possible channels, but on the other – a thorough study of public opinion.
Polls are an important source for studying long-term trends in American public opinion. Accumulated over many years of survey results provide an extensive empirical material that is accessed by researchers of various aspects of social and political life.
The author believes that the Americans were able to create a system for monitoring the operational and strategic social information through interviews. In an information society, one of the world information space is essential. Moreover, in our opinion, this is diagnostic system of public opinion (both in the U.S. and the world in general) allows the U.S. to succeed in the global information-psychological confrontation for dominance in the global information environment that raged between the leading countries in the world.
If we consider the process of forming public opinion, in our view, it can be represented as follows. When somewhere is an event, phenomenon, the individual or social group may express their attitude toward it only after receiving an information message (IM) of this event, phenomenon. Typically, the IM comes through the media (although it could be a movie theater, school, etc.).
It is important to develop a specific assessment and comment, which will be given to this information report. For example, a radio announcer (or television) may lead listeners or spectators, after the text message, to some of his assessment. Comments (C) in relation to the most IM may be as follows: C1 – very positive, C2 – positive, C3 – neutral, C4 – negative, C5 – very negative.
In social psychology, there are large number of experimental studies, investigates the conditions and ways to increase the effect of verbal effects. The set of specific measures aimed at it, is called “persuasive communication”. Different scientists studying for the persuasive impact of the media, recommended a model of the communicative process:
1). Who? (Sends a message) – communicator.
2). What? (Passed) – the message (text).
3). How? (By transfer) – channel.
4). Who? (Sent a message) – audience.
5). With what effect? – Efficiency.
With regard to each element of the scheme undertaken by many different studies. For example, fully describes the characteristics of the communicator, to improve the efficiency of his speech, in particular the types found his position during the communicative process. It may be three variants of such position:
Open – communicator openly declares himself as the supporter of the stated point of view;
detached – communicator keeps emphasized neutral, compares with conflicting viewpoints, not excluding the orientation of one of them, but not stated openly;
Closed – communicator silent about his point of view, sometimes even resorting to special measures to conceal it.
Naturally, the content of each of these positions is given to a task that is pursued in the communicative act, but it is important that in principle each of these positions have some ability to enhance the effect of exposure.
Thus, any person gets along with the IM themselves more and comment (in his absence, is C3, i.e., neutral).
Based on received information, people (social group) is a definite relation to any phenomenon, event. In our view, opinion (O) can be different too: O1, very positive, O2 – positive, O3 – neutral, O4 – negative, O5 – very negative.
Almost comment is manipulation. By manipulation include specific actions to create stereotypes and create a certain impression or attitude to a particular fact, event. In some sources, we can meet information that deliberated opinion is a result of manipulation and in this case it cannot be real public opinion, because it was previously formed under the pressure of some obstacles or people influence. It is necessary to add that comments-manipulation and C4, C5 are negative information channels that negatively influence on people’s perception of many situations.
Modern society is impossible without communication of manipulative character, because it became real part of everyday activity and in many cases it is presented as a variation of deliberated public opinion. The production and reproduction of ideas is just as important as the production of objects of consumption and capital goods.
Methods of manipulating public opinion are based primarily on the media, allowing to adjust, regulate, and to design a mass consciousness and the psyche of people. Emphasis is placed on the use of the laws of psychology, uncritical acceptance, and political inexperience. Analysis of foreign and domestic sources indicates that the methods used for the treatment of public opinion through the media in different countries are largely identical.
In general, the manipulation is based on lies and deceit. The basis for the manipulation are myths (in fact, disinformation).
Thus, based on all information presented in the paper it is necessary to mention that the primary means of political decisions are the media, primarily television. It is no any equal means for expressiveness and depth of knowledge. TV reports from the scene make the audience the illusion of ownership displayed on-screen events. Polls conducted by fund “Public opinion” among the various population groups and the military, indicate that about 90% of viewers believe in information that was transmitted. In fact, audiences often get interpreted appropriately processed information about real events, as they say, second-hand.
The effect of perception of such “information” largely depends on the content and tone of comments, advocacy skills, leading the program, with an explanation of the facts. And they usually are in direct proportion to the objectives pursued by specific political forces. Repeatedly using the TV and appealing mainly to the emotions, we can impose almost any object impact point of view. That is why we can conclude that deliberated opinion is not the real public opinion, but it is a result of specific actions directed on its formation.
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