Conspiracy theories as a phenomenon of media impact on public consciousness

Abstract

The article deals with an issue of spreading conspiracy ideas in social networks and in the media, in connection with the COVID19 epidemic in the Russian Federation. A brief overview of the most well-known scientific approaches to the study of non-conventional concepts and various “conspiracy theories” is given. Special attention is paid to the connection of conspiracy theories with postmodern ideas and a critical attitude to any official information from authoritative sources. It is emphasized that the equality of statements, which was insisted on by the postmodernism, supporters, leads to an increase in information noise and blurring the boundaries between fact and fiction. Modern conspiracy theory is the audience’s reaction to alarmism in official media publications There is an increase in such perceptions in the context of crises, catastrophes and epidemics. An attempt is made to identify the typical conspiracy versions of the causes for the coronavirus epidemic in the Russian segment of the social network Facebook. The article examines the fact of the growing popularity of “alternative theories” in the context of social fears of Russians, in connection with the deepening economic crisis and the prospect of losing their jobs. The growth of conspiracy ideas is analyzed in connection with the phenomenon of media influence on public consciousness. The functions of modern media are determined by the gradual replacement of the social reality with that of media replicating the simulacra, and which is not only engaged in informing The article states that the influence of media materials on consumers of news content is quite strong, which is one of the reasons for the spread of conspiracy theories in the various groups and communities of media users.