World of Media (Dec 2024)
The lexical apparatus of users’ discussions about conflict in the Internet space: The experience of empirical research
Abstract
The paper presents the experience of empirical study of lexical characteristics of mass communication texts (users’ comments) in various Telegram channels related to the discussion of the Arab-Israeli conflict in 2023. The article describes the approaches that exist to the formation of texts accessible for the analysis, taking into account the lexical elements used by the authors of the comments. It demonstrates the possibilities to elaborate and to implement software solutions to conduct content analytical research. The study shows that the real event in its media embodiment is significantly transformed under the influence of non-institutionalized communication participants due to the introduction into the discussion social reality elements closer to users. It is remarkable that users’ comments demonstrate the word-making practice inspired by the social and political context, realize the creative potential of users and their ability to propose and to use word forms indirectly marking users’ attitude to various objects of discussion. Data obtained stress the process of power personification under the influence of the global process of mediatization that it realized in users’ perception and the conflict. The dataset lets to speak about the empathy as the trait of the participants in the discussion and about logical inconsistency of mass consciousness manifested in simultaneous usage of neutral and negative lexical units withing the frames of discussion studies.
