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Philosophy and Culture
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On the media representation of the universal category of culture "sinfulness"

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

410054, Russia, Saratov region, Saratov, Polytechnic str., 77

semuh@rambler.ru
Other publications by this author
 

 
Shindel Svetlana Vladimirovna

PhD in Cultural Studies

Associate professor, 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
 

 

DOI:

10.7256/2454-0757.2022.2.37598.2

EDN:

FWESTH

Received:

22-02-2022


Published:

05-04-2024


Abstract: This article aims to analyze the manifestation of the universal axiological cultural category of sinfulness in the media space. The study's subject was this category's properties and functions, which are actualized when represented in digital media. In accordance with this goal, we used such methods as continuous sampling and observation of the facts of the representation of cultural categories, which allowed us to determine the linguistic material for analysis and a statistical method for quantitative analysis. The content analysis of the units selected for the study was used to identify the role, properties, and main functions of the universal axiological category of sinfulness. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that, for the first time, the universal nature of the category of sinfulness, its functions and properties, represented in media publications, were considered. Main conclusions: the study of the facts of actualization of the category of sinfulness in the media space allowed us to assert that the phenomenon under study is associated with topics such as politics, crime (in news media), and the assessment of citizens' behavior and morality (in religious media). These facts indicate that the primary function of the category of sinfulness is regulatory, aimed at evaluating and correcting the actions of members of society, as well as creating public opinion. In addition, the article proves that the category of sinfulness has transcultural properties, penetrating and being realized in all cultural layers, from local to global. In these cultural layers, the nature of the category acquires a different shade. In particular, at the global level, the category of sinfulness acquires the meaning of guilt, which is a consequence of the significant influence of Western culture on the global culture. It seems that the revealed properties of the category indicate its high importance for modern Russian society. The established regulatory function will make it possible to apply this category, including within the framework of regulating and managing public opinion and promoting basic values.


Keywords:

culture, religion, media publications, mass media, sinfulness, sin, regulation of public opinion, estimation, culture categories, guilt

Communication is inextricably linked with the culture of the social formation in which it is carried out. 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 interrelation and mutual influence of communication and culture are also expressed in the fact that not only is communication built based on culture, but the latter develops and exists thanks to communication [2].

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

Hall understood cultural categories as cultural facts that determine how individuals communicate and behave. 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, monochronic and polychronic, etc.) [1].

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

We 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, art, marriage, and religious beliefs [5].

In this study, the universal categories of culture are understood following the scientists mentioned above, typical behavior programs, and units of classification of the world that allow an individual to act effectively within the existing culture. Categories of faith and religious categories (in particular, love, faith, hope, wisdom [2]) belong to axiological categories that make evaluating the surrounding world, one's behavior, and other people's actions possible. Sinfulness seems to be one such cultural category.

Let's consider the structure of culture as a social phenomenon. It consists of three layers or tiers: local culture, national culture of a particular country, and global culture. If the last layer culturally unites all social formations due to the phenomenon of globalization, then national culture is a complex of values and meanings that are different for each individual nation. Due to historical or geographical conditions (for example, 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 consolidates and manages society by encouraging and forming some values and rejecting others.

Local culture extends to small collectives arising from people living together or uniting according to interests, age, etc. These cultural layers, on the one hand, 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 based on which mechanisms reconcile different cultural strata may lie in the plane of cultural universals. Indeed, universal cultural categories permeate all layers, being reflected both at the lowest local and global levels, crossing the national level.

As we indicated above, the category of sinfulness under study 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 the understanding of correct or 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 very old age, a person again becomes "sinless" as they are simply incapable of many condemned actions, consciously or under the influence of circumstances, turning to an ascetic lifestyle [8]. In addition, it is assumed that by the end of life, a person rethinks their life and becomes "closer to God."

At the national level, the category of sinfulness is realized both in religious and secular aspects. Depending on the social structure, the category of sinfulness finds different types of realization outside of religion. For example, guilt is a manifestation 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 concerns 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 changing.

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

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

References
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4. Hofstede, G. (1997). Lokales Denken, globales Handeln. Kulturen, Zusammenarbeit und Management. S. N. Beck. Munchen.
5. Merdok, D. P. (1997). Antologiya issledovanii kul'tury. Interpretatsiya kul'tury. Sankt-Peterburg, Universitetskaya kniga.
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7. Brubaker, R. (1998). Myths and misconceptions in the study of nationalism. The state of the nation. Ernest Gellner and the theory of nationalism. Ed. A. J. A. Holl. Cambridge. P. 272–305.
8. Urakov, S. A. (2020). Ideal svyatosti v pravoslavii kak vektor antropologicheskogo sovershenstva. Trudy Nizhegorodskoi dukhovnoi seminarii, 18, 501–507.
9. Idrisov, A. Zh. (2020). Kontseptsiya viny v bibleiskom povestvovanii kak instrument formirovaniya individual'noi i kollektivnoi identichnosti. Manuskript, 13(12), 230–234. Moscow: Izd-vo Gramota
10. Sugrobova, Yu.Yu., Karpova, I.D., & Dorofei, Yu.O. (2020). Parametry antropologicheskogo krizisa i sovremennogo global'nogo pokoleniya. Chelovek i kul'tura, 6. Retrieved from https://nbpublish.com/library_read_article.php?id=34308
11. Komnatnaya, S. R. (2021). Sub''ektivnaya semantika leksemy «vina» v yazykovom soznanii molodogo nositelya russkogo yazyka. Vestnik TGPU, 3(215), 25–32.
12. Gaznyuk, L. M., & Semenova, Yu. A. (2022). Pandemiya kak sreda obitaniya cheloveka: biologiya – tekhnologiya – kul'tura. Bol'shaya Evraziya: razvitie, bezopasnost', sotrudnichestvo, 12, 1098–1101.
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In the journal Philosophy and Culture, the author presented his article "On the functions and properties of the universal category of culture "sinfulness", represented in the media space," in which sinfulness as a cultural universal was studied from the perspective of its display in modern media. The author proceeds in the study of this issue from the fact that communication is inextricably linked with the culture of the society in which it is carried out. These two phenomena are deeply interrelated and have a continuous impact on each other. In the modern socio-cultural situation (the pandemic, the development of digital media resources), this influence has increased many times. This position is the relevance of the study. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the content analysis of sites of various contents and orientation conducted by the author from the point of view of studying the cultural category of "sinfulness". The theoretical basis of the study was the theories of E. Hall, G. Hofstede, J. Murdoch, as well as the works of Y.M. Lotman, B.V. Markov, Room S.R. and others. Various websites and media resources containing references to the category of "sinfulness" served as empirical material. The methodological basis of the study was an integrated approach containing descriptive, semantic, content analysis, and statistical method. The purpose of the study is to analyze the criteria of the cultural category "sinfulness" and its representativeness in digital media. The object of the research is universal cultural categories, the subject is modern media resources as a means and mechanism of their translation. Based on the theories of E. Hall, G. Hofstede and J. Murdoch's article on cultural categories and cultural universals, the author considers culture as a social phenomenon. He identifies and analyzes the levels characteristic of the culture of any social formation: local, national and global. According to the author, cultural universals denoting the basic categories of human existence permeate all cultural tiers, forming certain systems of values and behavioral patterns. Depending on the type of culture, these cultural values have their similarities and differences with other cultures at each level: the greatest discrepancy is observed at the local and global levels, they are generalized, impersonal in nature. The author attributes the category of "sinfulness" to the basic cultural universals. He considers the dynamics of its value when moving through levels from local to global. So, at the local level, this category has a pronounced religious significance (myths, superstitions). 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, is transformed into the concept of "guilt and guilt". At the global level, this universal has a simplified form and loses its evaluative function: "sinfulness loses its religious coloring and passes into the field of psychology and jurisprudence," that is, it acquires a regulatory function. The author's research on the actualization of the cultural category of sinfulness in digital media deserves special attention. A total of more than 1,500 publications were analyzed and 600 texts were selected for analysis, including 300 texts of Russian news sites and 300 texts of religious electronic media that are publicly available during 2021. The analysis was carried out according to the following criteria: the orientation of the sites, the subject of publications, the language means used and the meanings of the word "sinfulness" and words of the same root. The author states that the category of sinfulness is really relevant for modern Russian society, the idea of sin is shared not only by believers, but also by secular Russians. This concept can be found not only in religious publications, but also in news, economic, political, and even secular ones. The category of sinfulness is associated with the regulation of social relations, the social role of a person. The cultural category under study has an axiological function, it becomes a criterion by which the assessment of a certain act of an individual or group by society is measured. Having conducted the research, the author presents the conclusions on the studied materials, noting that the cultural category of "sinfulness" is universal and manifests itself at every cultural level. Despite the archaic subtext, it is relevant in modern Russian society, sometimes acquiring additional meanings and being used in descriptions of spheres of human activity that are far from religious. It seems that the author in his material touched upon relevant and interesting issues for modern socio-humanitarian knowledge, choosing a topic for analysis, consideration of which in scientific research discourse will entail certain changes in the established approaches and directions of analysis of the problem addressed in the presented article. The results obtained suggest that the study of cultural universals and their representation in digital resources is of undoubted theoretical and practical cultural interest and can serve as a source of further research. The material presented in the work has a clear, logically structured structure that contributes to a more complete assimilation of the material. An adequate choice of methodological base also contributes to this. The bibliographic list of the research consists of 20 sources, including foreign ones, which seems sufficient for generalization and analysis of scientific discourse on the studied problem. The author fulfilled his goal, received certain scientific results that allowed him to summarize the material. It should be noted that the article may be of interest to readers and deserves to be published in a reputable scientific publication.