On the Methodological Basis of Storytelling as a Mechanism of Collective Consciousness Manipulation

Abstract

Continuing the series of publications devoted to the socio-political aspects of digital transformations, the authors focus on the high pace of development of information technology and qualitative changes in public policy, which has ceased to be a sphere of rational thinking and argumentation, turning into a field for the struggle of symbols. There is a tendency for people to abandon language, and an increase in the influence of symbols and simplified structures in communications at various levels. The study of the methodological foundations of storytelling refers to the problem of neomythologism in the consciousness of modern man, the significant features of which are associative thinking and proximity to archaic perception. The increasing impact of ‘post-truth’ combines several interrelated phenomena: the growing prevalence and influence of misinformation, disagreement over verifiable facts, the increasing importance of personal faith and experience over facts and evidence, declining trust in institutional information providers, and the increasing fragmentation and polarization of information consumption. Thus, the concept of Homo Narrans, which assumes that a person’s perception of information occurs primarily through stories, takes on a new meaning in the context of the development of digital public policy. Visual perception makes it possible to use unconscious motives and symbols. The authors come to the conclusion that visual storytelling is becoming an effective tool of political struggle due, on the one hand, to the emotional impact on the audience and, on the other hand, by simplifying the perception of the transmitted information. As a communication technology, it is widely used to build relationships of trust. If used correctly, this technology can help organize the digital information space of Russia in the national interests, including for articulating a system of values that correlate with socio-political processes in the country and the world and taking into account our cultural traditions.