Mass media as a factor influencing the concepts semantic field

Abstract

Abstract: The given study focuses on the media influence on the worldview representation determined by the audience-induced changes in the semantic field of a concept. The aim of our research is to examine the media’s effect on the core of the semantic field regarding the concept of conflict and single out the methods employed by a journalist to alter the semantic field of concepts and influence the audience’s worldview. Lev Vygotsky’s cultural-historical theory, Marshall McLuhan’s media theory, and Lasswell’s theoretical foundations on the potentiality of media to influence the audience’s preferences are theoretical foundations for researching in this area. I conducted a four-stage study to define the way media content affects change the concept meaning by analysing the multidimensional concept «conflict» as an example. I exploited free listing methods, which were refined to accomplish my goal, data collection, and analysis methods as diagnostic instruments and conducted the survey among 88 students of the State University of Telecommunication (Kyiv, Ukraine). The experimental studies showed that even after a short period of intense media impact, a tested subject admitted the significant change in his point of view on the current events. The obtained results give grounds for further quantitative research to scrutinize the media impact on the audience’s worldview.   Keywords: mass media influence; semantic field; conflict, alter the concept’s meaning; audience’s worldview