Psychological practices in social media as a method of constructing effects (on the example of monotony)

Abstract

The use of social media in political discourse is quite active, and has turned this means of communication into a tool for influencing the communities. In times of political and social crises, such influence can be particularly relevant, since society is mobilized and traditional media often have lower level of trust. Discourses in social media, especially under conditions of increasing gradient of confrontation in society, are elements of power, and through the implementation of certain psychological practices in them, social construction can take place in the form of establishing a social hierarchy. In this article, which is utilizing a Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis of a communicative case in the Ukrainian segment of social media, the features of linguistic characteristics, discursive practices and social practices that lead to the reproduction of the psychological practice of segregation of community members are identified. This practice is weakening the society’s ability to unity and mobilization through the strengthening of internal contradictions between individuals, depending on their attitude to the "politicization" of a particular topic, and to the construction of an additional "fault line" between citizens. In the process of reproducing this practice towards the target audience, the effect of monotony is also instilled, that is the fatigue from information and loss of interest. Monotony, in turn, leads to the increase in the passivity of citizens and their loss of motivation to somehow position themselves in discourses, fills the communication space of “excessive” information and reduces the ability of society to mobilize.