site.btaModern Media Systematically Destroy Democracy - Political Scientist

Modern media systematically destroy democracy, and they are a major factor influencing human behaviour. With globalization processes, their influence has been transformed enormously. They are less and less able to fulfil their purely informational function, through which we can make sense of our attitudes to various issues, and in practice they make society manipulable. A major result of this influence is the formation of public opinion, which becomes an important factor in determining social groups and individuals, including politicians. Therefore, instead of seeing pragmatic reactions from society and institutions that are reasonable and lead to a solution, we see radicalization.

These remarks were made by political scientist Tatyana Burudzhieva, who was a keynote speaker at a discussion on anxiety and aggression in society”, which took place within the International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films in Varna. Participating were also actress Paraskeva Dzhukelova and director Stanimir Trifonov participated.

Burudzhieva said that her latest work is about the effect of the media on the aggressive behaviour of society in relation to a publication of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. She has found that these effects are used by politicians who, however, do not set out to provide a solution and provide the parameters to enable society to reduce anxiety and aggression in different social groups.

The media can be very destructive, especially through the transmission of aggression, and it has become a sinister reference, and people find themselves consuming violence that goes beyond what is acceptable. According to Burudzhieva, there is a positive opportunity for communication through culture and therefore it is important what state this sector is in and what values it transmits, as the reputation of the country depends on it. We have to work systematically in school, in the family and through everything we create to seek other means of solution before the radical ones. A common code is needed, and that means people understanding each other, imagining and naming the same thing. Everyone is looking for a society that will provide an adequate environment for development, the political scientist said.

According to her, anxiety and aggression have a common root and it lies in the fear of being watched and judged, social phobia and the difficulty of facing problems and reaching important solutions. In anxiety we have the individual's attempt to save themselves from society, to shut down, to separate themselves from groups. Aggression on the other hand is another stage of this feeling and is associated with very strong emotions, anger, antipathy, violence, attack and confrontation. The Internet reinforces group reactions and enables manipulation, says Burudzhieva. The end effect is radicalization, which is seen all over the world. There is a need for personal relevance and a purpose to indulge in. There is also an ideological component and it allows for violence.

According to her, after the changes in 1989 the Bulgarian society found a common cause in the sense of state and then in the EU membership, but then stopped trusting statesmen. “We elect those in power who are complex and anxious individuals who are worried about how society will evaluate them and this influences their decisions. They have no reasoning and purpose, many do not know why they are MPs and are doing something other than their profession,” she said, adding that only citizens can punish the government through activism.