About the Functions and Properties of the Universal Categories of Culture and "Sinfulness" Represented in the Media

Semukhina Elena Aleksandrovna ORCID: 0000-0001-8560-0707 PhD in Philology Associate Professor, Department of Translation Studies and Intercultural Communication, Yuri Gagarin State Technical University of Saratov 410008, Russia, Saratov region, Saratov, Polytechnic str., 77 semuh@rambler.ru Other publications by this author

Shindel Svetlana Vladimirovna PhD in Cultural Studies Docent, the department of Translation Studies and Intercultural Communication, Yuri Gagarin State Technical University of Saratov 410008, Russia, Saratovskaya oblast', g. Saratov, ul. Politekhnicheskaya, 77 schindelswetlana@mail.ru Other publications by this author

Communication is inextricably linked with the culture of the social formation in which it is carried out. Actually, the practice of communication is based on cultural concepts and is regulated by them. Scientists have repeatedly addressed the problem of the interaction of culture and communication, expressing, in particular, the opinion that they are identical phenomena ^[1]. The deep interconnection and mutual influence of communication and culture is also expressed in the fact that not only communication is built on the basis of culture, but the latter also develops and exists through communication ^[2].

The most important units of cultural knowledge reflected in the process of communication, including media communication, are cultural categories ^[3]. Recall that the most well-known approaches to understanding the phenomenon of cultural categories and their definition are the theories of E. Hall and G. Hofstede ^{[1; 4]}.

 E. Hall understood cultural categories as cultural facts that determine the ways of communication and behavior of individuals. According to the "cultural grammar" created by the researcher, the main cultural categories include time, context, space, social organization, study, play, etc. The scientist also created a typology of cultures depending on the attitude to these categories (high- and low-contextual cultures, monochronous and polychronous, etc.) ^[1].

According to G. Hofstede, the main categories of culture should be considered the so-called "mental programs", combining forms of thinking, patterns of behavior, perceived and fixed in early childhood. These mechanisms further regulate human behavior. Among the mental programs, the researcher includes the distance of power, collectivism – individualism, masculinity – femininity, avoidance of uncertainty, etc. ^[4].

Let us also note the well-known theory of cultural universals, by which D.P. Murdoch understands typical aspects of life that find actualization in all existing societies. These include: place of residence (house), clothing, work, family ties, fine arts, marriage, as well as religious beliefs ^[5].

In this study, universal categories of culture are understood, following the above-mentioned scientists, as typical behavior programs, units of classification of the world that allow an individual to effectively act within the framework of an existing culture. Categories of faith, religious categories (in particular, love, faith, hope, wisdom ^[2]) belong to axiological categories that allow one to assess the world around them, one's own behavior, and the actions of other people. Sinfulness seems to be one of these cultural categories.

If we consider the structure of culture as a social phenomenon, it turns out that it consists of three layers or tiers: local culture, national culture of a particular country and global culture. And if the last layer culturally unites all social formations due to the phenomenon of globalization, then national culture is a set of values and meanings that are different for each individual nation. Due to historical or geographical conditions (for example, the proximity of countries, belonging to the same religion, coexistence within the same state at previous stages of development, etc.), national value structures may differ very slightly or, on the contrary, strikingly. National culture is the instrument through which the State, by encouraging and shaping some values and rejecting others, consolidates and governs society.

Local culture extends to small groups that have arisen as a result of people living together or uniting according to interests, age, etc. On the one hand, these cultural layers overlap each other, so that modern man is forced to adapt to three value structures at once ^[6]. On the other hand, there is often tension and even confrontation between them.

The answer to the question of what mechanisms are used to reconcile different cultural strata may lie in the plane of cultural universals. Indeed, universal cultural categories permeate all strata, being reflected both at the lowest local level and at the global level, crossing the national one.

The category of sinfulness under study, as we indicated above, refers to cultural phenomena of this type. If we consider its manifestation at the local level, it is reflected, for example, in local superstitions and myths ^[7]. Or in understanding correct/erroneous behavior in people of different ages. In general, within the framework of the Christian religion, it is believed that the number of sins increases with age. However, in old age, a person again becomes "sinless", since he is simply not capable of many condemned actions, consciously or under the influence of circumstances, switching to an ascetic lifestyle ^[8]. In addition, it is assumed that by the end of life a person rethinks his life and becomes "closer to God."

At the national level, the category of sinfulness is realized both in the religious aspect and in the secular one. Depending on the social structure, the category of sinfulness finds different types of realization outside of religion. For example, guilt and guilt are manifestations of the category of sinfulness in modern European society ^[9].

Speaking about the manifestation of the category of sinfulness at the global level, it is worth noting that globalization affects all aspects of modern life. It implies the unification of economic and educational structures, cultures and national mass communication systems. At the same time, globalization does not lead to a simple addition and accretion, but to a modification of the combined elements. In particular, the national culture is undergoing changes.

The values of global culture are transmitted through transnational mass communication systems, access to which is possible for anyone, wherever they are. Today, such opportunities are acquired by the mass media through the Internet. Regardless of the artificially imposed restrictions, the Internet penetrates everywhere, bringing with it global cultural values.

Global informatization is one of the main trends in post–industrial society, leading to the transformation of social systems ^[10], strengthening the mediatization of public relations.

Universal cultural categories are also spreading in the global environment, but they have the most simplified form with an unexpressed evaluative component. So, in particular, the category of sinfulness in global culture loses its importance, turning into guilt (or criminality), which is obviously a consequence of the strong influence of Western European and American cultures. On a global level, sinfulness loses its religious connotation and moves into the field of psychology and jurisprudence.

We also emphasize that the psychologization of sinfulness (the transition of the category to guilt) is an important fact of modern global society. Instilled guilt becomes the mechanism that implicitly controls people's behavior. Experts in the field of psychology call the guilt complex ^[11] one of the most important components of the personality of a modern person, especially today, during difficult times of the pandemic ^[12]. Despite the negative significance of guilt in an individual's life, its influence cannot be denied.

Thus, the category of sinfulness really has a universal character, being actualized in all layers of culture and representing a certain vertical mental link between them, allowing a modern person to find a balance between cultural tiers.

To determine the main properties and functions of the category of sinfulness in modern Russian society, let us turn to media publications, since in general "the mass media are a mirror of social processes" ^[13]. In addition, "journalism as a system of receiving, processing, and transmitting information today tends to focus on reflecting ethnocultural values" ^[14], which is why it is interesting to consider the representation of the category of sinfulness on the pages of media resources.

It seems that the category under study, like other categories of the religious order, performs a number of functions, the main of which is regulatory, aimed at changing the behavior of members of society ^[15]. Indeed, through a variety of axiological cultural forms, a person receives information about which values are important in modern society ^[16], which actions correspond to the concepts of good and evil, public benefit or harm, etc.

Let us consider in more detail the results of the conducted research on the actualization of the cultural category of sinfulness in digital media.

In particular, we analyzed a total of more than 1,500 publications and selected 600 texts for analysis, including 300 texts of Russian news sites and 300 texts of religious electronic media that are publicly available during 2021. We emphasize the fact that the category of sinfulness is not always obvious. By its nature, it is implicit ^[17], and may not have a specific linguistic actualization, but organize the internal semantic structure of the text.

Let's analyze the topics of publications that represent the cultural category of sinfulness. So, in particular, in the news media, such topics are: 1) politics (98 publications, i.e. 47.3% of the total number of articles selected for analysis), 2) crime (84 pub., 28%), 3) the lives of famous people (62 pub., 20.6%), 4) art, modern mass culture (23 pub., 7.7%), 5) incidents (20 pub., 6.7%), 6) historical facts (13 pub., 4.4%).

In the mass media of a religious nature, the main topics related to the representation of the category of sinfulness are: 1) behavior in society (142 publications, i.e. 47.3% of the total number of articles selected for analysis), 2) moral stories (115 pub., 38.3%); 3) art, modern mass culture (31 pub., 10.4%), 4) incidents, etc. (12 pub., 4%).

The actualization of the category of sinfulness in the studied publications is carried out at different linguistic levels, including implicitly through allusions, special types of tonality of the text, graphic linguistic means, etc. To illustrate the results of the study, we present phrases containing an explicit indication of sinfulness, sin, fall, guilt (in its religious sense), etc.

So, in news media publications we find:

- on the topic of "Politics": "Economist Greenberg called the "biggest sin" of Russian reforms" (IA Regnum); "Firstly, for a Russian oppositionist, moving to Ukraine is akin to an act of sin and political suicide, because in the eyes of Russian citizens he will immediately put a stigma on himself" ("The view.<url>");

- on the topic of "Crime": "Is it a sin, but is it fraud?" A well-known lawyer spoke about the case of the ex-deputy prosecutor of Voronezh" ("Vesti. Voronezh");

- on the topic "The lives of famous people": "I can't atone for this sin." Eleanor Filina got rid of Eduard Uspensky's child" ("Star hit");

- on the topic "Art, modern mass culture": "Food and women are a story of constant fall from grace" ( <url>). "It turned out that an erotic scene was taking place on stage to the waltz from a ballet episode – either a fall from grace, or rape, since the doctor's daughter, already practically turned into Margarita, is in an altered state and hardly realizes what is happening to her" ("New Companion");

- on the topic of "Incidents": "My wife's worst ancestral sin is in her great–grandmother, who hijacked a plane" ( <url>).

- on the topic of "Historical facts": "Nicholas the Wonderworker found out about this and saved the family from the fall" ("Amik").

Along with many others, the following statements were revealed in the publications of the religious media:

- on the topic of "Behavior in society": "But it often happens in our lives that we, as the person depicted on the icon, do not abandon our sinful habits, although we pray" ("Nizhny Novgorod Metropolia"); "Firstly, the behavior that is opposed in this case feminists — sexual advances, and even against the will of a woman — are undoubtedly sinful in the Christian coordinate system" ( <url>);

- on the topic of "Moral stories": "We often hear and read: you can't condemn people, you can't hate sinners – but you can and should hate sin" ( <url>);

- on the topic "Art, modern mass culture": "Sin and Redemption in the Music of Johann Sebastian Bach" (St. Philaret Institute);

- on the topic of "Incidents": "I was tormented by constant reflections that everything could have been different, I was tormented by a sense of guilt for what happened, in general, for my whole life, for where and what I did wrong, what I allowed, why I or my husband did not die..." ("Orthodoxy<url>").

In general, it can be noted that the category of sinfulness is really relevant for modern Russian society. An interesting fact is that the idea of sin is preserved not only by believers in Russia, but also by the secular part of society, as evidenced by numerous publications selected for research in the news media.

These data indicate that the category of sinfulness is associated with the regulation of social relations, the social role of a person. The axiological cultural category under study becomes a measure that allows us to understand whether society condemns a particular act, whether it is possible to commit it with impunity. Using the appeal to sinfulness in the media space, issues of political choice are resolved: it is sinful / possible to make certain decisions, what punishment from the point of view of society should be borne by individual individuals or entire collectives.

We emphasize that the impact on the recipients of publications through the category of sinfulness is based on their deep inner attitudes, often not realized, which arose as a result of familiarization with the national culture, part of which has religious roots. These influencing properties of the category are used for the purpose of regulation, control of the consciousness of individual individuals, as well as the general public consciousness.

In general, the regulatory function is peculiar to numerous cultural categories, so, in particular, a number of researchers believe that culture has a multilevel structure that includes norms, conditions, standards and patterns of behavior, the main task of which is to determine socially approved behavior, as well as the level of its social effectiveness ^{[18; 19]}.

So, the category of sinfulness belongs to the number of universal axiological categories, the main purpose of which is to carry out the value justification of the activities of members of society, as well as their value–semantic integration ^[20], to preserve and broadcast cultural values.

The appeal to the media of mass communication made it possible to establish that the category of sinfulness, despite its apparent archaism, has a high representativeness, often having an implicit character. We emphasize that the category of sinfulness is realized not only in thematic media publications (in religious media), but also in news.

The analysis of the topics of media publications, in which the actualization of the studied category was revealed, allowed us to prove that the main function is a regulatory one aimed at evaluating and correcting the actions and behavior of individuals.

In addition, it was found that the category of sinfulness is transcultural (it tends to penetrate into all layers of culture: local, national and global), which indicates the high value of this category for modern man and society as a whole.

We emphasize that this research can be used for the purpose of regulating, correcting and creating public opinion based on universal axiological cultural categories and, in particular, sinfulness, their application in the media space.