Social Technologies for Broadcasting the Image of the State

Shmygin Vladislav Andreevich Graduate student, Department of Social Engineering HSCSS, Lomonosov Moscow State University 119991, Russia, Moscow region, Moscow, Leninskie Gory str., 1, - shmyginv97@mail.ru Other publications by this author

Shultz Vladimir Leopoldovich Doctor of Philosophy Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor, Department of Social Engineering, Moscow State University 119991, Russia, Moscow region, Moscow, Leninskie Gory str., 1 cona01@yandex.ru

IntroductionIn an uncertain and chaotic system of international relations, States seek to protect their national interests by forming stable poles of power that require not only military, political, economic, but also socio-cultural types of influence.

One of the manifestations in the system of international relations is the image of the state as an instrument of influence on social consciousness. In this regard, the issue of broadcasting the necessary image of the state for the realization of its own national interests is being updated.

The attempt to counteract in the ideological field, obviously, lies in conducting its own process of social construction, whose product should be the antipode, that is, the image of the country corresponding to national interests and transmitted through social technologies.

The concept of "social technologies"Turning to the definition of social technologies, we should note that this is primarily an information resource containing an intellectual knowledge-intensive product that allows us to actively transform social reality, that is, to design its qualitatively new model.

The methodological feature of the application of social technologies is the relationship of the "subject-subject" format, which is not typical of technologies from other spheres. Technologies are a set of methods by which the producer of something can achieve the desired result. Accordingly, the producer of something is dealing with an object whose parameters do not change without influence. This format of relations can be described as classical subject-object relations.

The complexity of social technologies is based on the fact that a social object is determined by the characteristics of dynamism, nonlinearity and randomness. The determinants of characteristics lie in the social nature of the object, which is both a subject and, perhaps, even an actor of the social process within which social technology is implemented. The multi-subjectivity of the process is due to the fact that people are in social interaction with other people. The interaction of people determines the presence of anthropogenic factors, including the "human" factor, which includes the peculiarities of the mind, emotions, and morals of a person.

The genesis of social technologies occurs within the framework of labor relations and is associated with an attempt to find rational ways of organizing labor in production. Subject-specific social technologies appear in the sociology of management and the sociology of labor. Among the works, one can distinguish the Taylor school of management ^[21], Fayol ^[24], who considered management processes at enterprises, as well as Weber ^[6], who considered bureaucracy as the key to rational management of society.

In the future, the concept becomes an object of the sociology of knowledge and social construction, because within these fields of knowledge, attention is focused on the transformations of consciousness and behavior of people. Individuals are guided in social processes by this or that knowledge, the origin of which can be completely different and include even irrational forms of knowledge. To correct social knowledge means to construct a new social reality, thereby increasing the usefulness of knowledge. At the same time, the megatrends that characterize modern society contribute to an even greater increase in the role of knowledge. Information became a resource when knowledge assumed the role of a management factor, including social, which determines the relevance of social technologies in the process of constructing a new social reality, the issue of broadcasting which for the external "viewer" becomes the key in the geopolitical confrontation.

From the history of the concept: social technologies were mentioned by Karl Popper in the work "The Poverty of Historicism" ^[17] in the context of applying the knowledge of sociology in practice. The scientist called social engineering an effective method of using social technologies. The way to achieve this or that result, as Popper puts it, is through piecemeal social technologies.

In the social sciences, there is a pluralism of definitions of the concept of "social technologies". In fact, all methods of managerial influence of a person on a person can be attributed to social technologies. At the same time, the mentioned methods are transformed into processed information: structured, systematized, holistic. The result of information processing is social knowledge. Thus, the definition of social technologies can be considered social knowledge, which is a model of actions to achieve a goal.

This definition combines approaches to social technologies:

- epistemological: social technology is a system knowledge;

- activity-based: social technology as a method of solving a problem at a certain stage of activity;

- instrumental: social technology is a mechanism of social transformation;

- utilitarian: social technologies as a way to implement a social project ^[20].

In any of the presented approaches, social technologies will be a formalized knowledge, working with which requires some principles of step-by-step work from the subject of activity:

1) obtaining the most comprehensive social knowledge that can be used;

2) formulation of the reference result, both in qualitative and quantitative terms;

3) development of a model of practical actions, including the main goal and the algorithm of achievement;

4) differentiation of activities into separate operations that are interconnected and interdependent;

5) control at each stage of the implementation of social technologies, including the adjustment of actions.

A social researcher, when trying to study the issues of the translation of the image of the state through social technologies, takes the position of a social consultant and a social technologist who solves the managerial problem of the translation of social knowledge about the object of management (the image of the state). Accordingly, for the social researcher, the question of the relevance of the existing image of the state is actualized – the research question is raised about the need to adjust the conjunctural image of the state.

Construction and translation of the image of the state.According to the theory of Berger and Lukman, the state can be called the social order, the stock of knowledge about which is intersubjectively constructed in the social reality of individuals belonging to a particular society.

In this context, knowledge configurations can be different, for example, a state built on democratic principles will be based on a stock of knowledge about democratic institutions, norms and ideals of democracy as a political regime, civil society as a communicative mechanism, and so on. Cases of states containing other principles of state-building will carry a third-party stock of knowledge, respectively.

The "tuning" of this knowledge is possible and is used to realize the interests of various beneficiaries ^[15]. Modern social determinants are a catalyst for the process of correcting the image of the state: the infrastructure of the information society undergoing the process of digitalization promotes the use of social technologies. At the same time, the image of the state can also be successfully transmitted through digital communications and modern media developing in the world.

To form the necessary image of the state, those social phenomena are used, on the basis of which a model of perception of a particular state is built.  Any state, as the main political institution, is a system that develops in stages: a retrospective analysis of any state will reveal the main postulates on which statehood is based, consisting of signs: the territory with the population living on it, the state apparatus and public authority, sovereignty, monopoly rights (on symbols, on legal and legitimate violence, on taxation, etc.). other).

One of the main approaches of social counseling in this aspect will be the impact on the territorial and human (population) bases of the state through the adjustment of historical knowledge. Historical knowledge is one of the components of social consciousness, forming the consciousness of both the individual and individual social groups and communities. Hence, there is a need to use historical knowledge as a social and political resource for the realization of similar goals ^[14].

This type of knowledge is able to influence the need-motivational mechanism of the individual, to shape the behavior of individuals, as well as to influence certain types of culture, including political. Such possibilities of historical knowledge and its role in the political and managerial spheres determine the interest in its use in the geopolitical confrontation.

Historical knowledge has enormous potential due to the fact that historical information is a non-linear resource, which in practice gives a strategic advantage, because the possession and use of knowledge can cause disproportionate consequences. If other types of resources give a proportional effect (for example, the amount of military equipment in a political conflict), then even a "piece of correct information" in the future will lead to the defeat of opponents in a political conflict ^[7].

Based on this, there is a potential to influence public consciousness through historical knowledge, whose interpretation options carry certain social ideas. That is why the issue of correcting historical knowledge and its further translation outside is relevant and even classic for the information society.

The process of correcting historical knowledge becomes possible thanks to social technologies used to manipulate public consciousness. The diversity of social technologies should be considered through possible classifications resulting from the enlargement of social mechanisms:

- Selective nature of the appeal to historical facts. This technology is used in information warfare to belittle or demonize the image of society or the state to whom the impact is directed. A striking example is the regular mention by Western countries of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact as an imperialist ambition of the USSR while keeping silent about the fact of the Munich Agreement of 1938, which was also an attempt to ensure peace in Europe. This technology is associated with the default method, which is also demonstrated in the above example. The general conclusion is that such technologies of "selection" of facts make it possible to place advantageous accents and present an incomplete objective picture of social reality, respectively beneficial to certain subjects.

- Hyperbolization and the use of large scales. Well-known examples of such manipulations can be found in the Ukrainian case of historical knowledge correction:

1) the difference in the figures of the victims of the "Holodomor", so, according to the SBU examination of 2019, 10.5 million Ukrainians became victims of the Holodomor, although earlier smaller figures were recognized at the official level (from 1.5 to 2 times less) ^[5]. In this example, the famine recognized as a "genocide of the Ukrainian people" allows demonizing the image of not only the USSR, but also its successor, Russia.

2) attempts to indicate the antiquity of the Ukrainian people, based on indirect historical facts. This example of using the hyperbolized scale of the historical process of the genesis and development of the people is associated with an attempt to further legitimize, self-identification and isolation from the history of other societies (Russian, first of all).

- the use of historical and political myths. For example, the world-famous "founding myth" ^[10], which gives legitimacy to the self-identification of American society: the War of Independence only in the 19th century acquired epithets and a large array of heroized information, so the phrase "founding fathers" replaced the real formulation "pilgrim fathers" in the public consciousness. This technology is certainly broad (in the example it is associated with the method of heroization) and claims to be a holistic technological approach.

- global denial of the past, as a technological approach, is associated with a diminution of the role or a complete rejection of historical experience: for example, the Soviet case of memory policy has always included an aggressive rejection and criticism of the past stage of Russian history (monarchical, imperial). Moreover, global denial is often accompanied by derogatory epithets. Referring to the above example, we can recall the concept of "tsarism".

- formative sociology and manipulation of sociological measurement data. This social technology is used to form or focus attention on more favorable positions or opinions about the historical process. As an example, we can consider an excerpt from a 2017 Levada Center study in which sociologists formulated questions as follows: "Given the scale of repression in the Stalin era, do you agree that the country's leader Joseph Stalin should be considered a state criminal."^[3] It is obvious that the first part of the question contributes to a negative assessment, which is methodologically incorrect if we are talking about observing the principle of objectivity.

- historiography. Thus, historical knowledge is corrected not in the "offices of interest groups", but through official sources and the social institute of science. In this case, historiography or the science of history and the development of historical knowledge becomes relevant. The historiography of each society has methodological and conceptual "stretches" that form one or another view of the historical process. As an example, we can cite the Soviet historical tradition developing within the framework of Marxism and the formation idea, which explained the need for communist political ideology as the most developed. This gave legitimacy to political power and worked in the interests of foreign policy, broadcasting the image of the most developed state.

- the authority of scientists. An interesting example is the appearance of the Norman theory, which became famous in the 18th century under the influence of the works of German historians at the Russian Academy of Sciences (Bayer, Miller, Schletzer). Perhaps this issue was not political initially, but it acquired a similar character later and could negatively affect the reputation of Russia. The emergence of the anti-Norman theory under the leadership of M. V. Lomonosov became a manifestation of the memory policy, which corrected historical knowledge.

 - extra-scientific knowledge. In addition to the use of science, historical knowledge can be adjusted under the influence of various kinds of extra-scientific knowledge, which includes art, religion, philosophy, everyday and other types of knowledge.

- legal interpretations of historical facts. This article has already mentioned the "law on the Holodomor" adopted in Ukraine, but it should also be noted a number of memorial laws adopted in a number of post-Soviet countries. A striking example is the Baltic states, in which the historical existence under the common flag of the Soviet Union is classified as occupation.

In addition to all of the above technologies, historical knowledge is used as part of the translation of the image of the state. This process takes place through mass media and communication channels. In this regard, mass and social media technologies should be highlighted:

- The CNN effect and the Al Jazeera effect are patterns of the information and political field. The first effect is associated with the formation in the public consciousness of ideas about certain facts of political reality (especially military actions) through the prism of broadcasts, which, in turn, may be selective and, as a result, do not reflect certain actions objectively. Accordingly, the preservation of the memory of such events also occurs through the archives of the mass media and the views of individuals formed under their influence. A similar concept was described by Jean Baudrillard in his work "There was no war in the Gulf" ^[8]. The sociologist described that the masses learned about the conflict in the Middle East mainly from TV screens, respectively, their ideas about the war did not necessarily correspond to reality. The second effect is due to the fact that at the moment information is not totally controlled and states have lost the monopoly on managing it. Accordingly, historical memory is formed under the influence of certain interest groups, including new media.

- methods of information management, among which there is a favorable distribution of airtime (disproportionately), media coverage of significant details of historical events, emotional coloring of media messages, editing, the use of rumors and unverified information, as well as highly likely accusations ^[18].

Technologies for correcting historical knowledge and subsequent translation are an integral part of the memory policy, which is carried out by various actors, both directly by the state and interest groups. The historical process in the minds of individuals can be overgrown with additional interpretations, which practically negates the significance of factual information. But the harm or benefit (depending on the interests of the subject of social technology) of changing the historical process in the individual's mind reflects his attitude to the history of the state and, accordingly, his image.

Moreover, we are talking not only about the image of the state of which this or that individual is a resident. By changing the historical memory of the state, whose image includes and uses the historical background, the subject of social technology influences the perception of this state, constructing for individuals a new social reality, the translation of which is used in the geopolitical confrontation.

The next significant approach to the social construction and translation of the necessary image is the technology of "soft power". The phenomenon of "soft power" came into Russian scientific circulation from the American political science school. Due to the differences in the semantic translation, soft power in Russian research works is interpreted as "soft power", "flexible power", "soft power", "soft influence". J. Nye, the founder of the idea of "soft power" when creating the theoretical concept of international relations, laid the meaning of "soft power", since, it is the power that introduces subject-object relations, in which the subject is endowed with the right and the opportunity to subordinate the object to his will ^[13]. However, the proposed translation options in the scientific literature are identical.

In order to distinguish between possible mechanisms and study the socio-value constructs of influence in the twentieth century, the American political scientist Joseph Nye formulated the concept of "soft power". "Soft power" is an indirect method of exercising the power of the state, the ability to make an opponent want what you want, that is, soft power is a tool for getting what you want by attracting, but not forcing. This concept allows you to indirectly

The concept of "soft power" is used in modern social sciences and humanities in the following meanings:

1.                  In particular cases, "soft power" is understood as the ability of state nonviolent mobilization;

2. The use of national symbolic resources when influencing a political opponent;

3.                 In an abstract sense, the concept of "soft power" is interpreted as the ability to "make yourself love";

4. "Soft power" as a process of changing the international space through civilizational cultural and humanistic methods.

The concept of "soft power" is based on the theoretical basis of postmodern philosophers who described the phenomenon of consumer society. Jean Baudrillard in his works used the category of "temptation" ^[26], which in global consideration is the basis of "soft power" Temptation is a form of domination over the symbolic universe. In a consumer society – a world where image, images dominate and the value of virtual objects dominates, temptation takes on the meaning of a force whose impact exceeds the military and economic suppression of the actor. Therefore, "temptation" in political science can take on the meaning of the geostrategy of humane domination. When implementing such a strategy, an illusion is used as a bait for consumption, capable of charming and immersing in an alternative social reality.

Zh. Lipovetsky in his writings characterized the world of seductive emptiness. "Seduction" in modern social reality permeates all forms of organization of human life: production, politics, services, education and even the intimate life of a person. The dominance of the digital society has increased the influence of the instruments of seduction, increased their influence as tools for constructing the socio-political international space. Lipovetsky noted the advantages of "seduction as a political mechanism, since it is more effective to spread the "temptation" of the advantages of democratic ideas through digital reality ^[11].

"Soft power" by J. It is based on three components of social concepts: the cultural attractiveness of the country, the ease of its integration into other cultures; political values, successful experience of their assimilation in the social environment of the state that distributes them; foreign policy, if adopted by other political actors on a voluntary basis. Economic value orientations can also be used as a tool of "soft power". The retransmission of economic models in this case is adopted with the voluntary recognition of them as more effective than the currently dominant system. For example, accepting the advantages of a market economy over a command economy, as in the case of post-Soviet states.

The adoption of the foreign policy course of the "soft power" subject State depends on its comprehensive nature, taking into account the needs of the target States. Thus, the United States implemented the Marshall Plan aimed at establishing peace and eliminating the consequences of World War II on the territory of Western Europe ^[12]. Through the implementation of economic assistance, the image of the United States was broadcast.

The idea of "soft power" is based on the empirical experience of the author himself, who held the position of Deputy Secretary of Defense of the United States. Within the framework of the role interests of J. The phenomenon of "soft power" means, first of all, a set of non-forceful tools aimed at ensuring the hegemony of the United States in the geopolitical space by broadcasting the necessary image.

This social technology is a priority in the future for the Russian case, as it is legally codified in Russian legislation, and also allows you to broadcast ideas related to the worldview inherent in the Russian public consciousness. The universal nature of "soft power" makes it possible to spread ideas – social phenomena that influence the construction of the image of a "state with a human face". The ideas have been updated at the moment and will contribute to overcoming the situation of international isolation.

The issues of designing and broadcasting the image of the country have the potential for development in the aspect of social technologies and the expansion of the technological apparatus. Of course, the highlighted social technologies are classic for image translation and do not have barriers of application at the moment. At the same time, obtaining social knowledge about the possibilities of effective design, and, accordingly, the formation of a qualitatively new social technology, is a priority that can give the country a strategic advantage in the future, both for peaceful coexistence on the world political map and for conducting confrontation in its favor.