New digital reality and the place of a journalist in it discussed at the forum “Media in the modern world”

The forum was opened by Professor Anatoly Puyu, Director of the Graduate School of Journalism and Mass Communication at St Petersburg University. ‘At some point, there were 700 people studying journalism at the University, and today there are about 2,000 of them. We have 17 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programmes and a very high competition for admission. Many international students seek to study here. It proves that there is a huge interest in the media today,’ he said, adding that the conference is held jointly with the Union of Journalists of Russia and Lomonosov Moscow State University.

At the opening ceremony, the winners of the St Petersburg University Neva prize award in the field of journalism and mass communications in 2023 were announced. The prize winners were:

• In the category “Theory” — Svetlana Bodrunova, Professor in the Mass Communication Management Department at St Petersburg University for her series of articles on the development of the theory of cumulative deliberation 
• In the category “Enlightenment” — Natalia Zhiliakova, Associate Professor of Tomsk State University for a series of works on the specifics of journalism in Tomsk Governorate during the pre-revolutionary period 
• In the category “Recognition” — Dmitrii Sherikh, Chairman of the St Petersburg branch of the Union of Journalists of Russia

The plenary session of the forum included speeches not only by practitioners of the media industry and representatives of media education but also philosophical reports designed to reveal the foundations of the global transformation of the information environment. For example, Associate Professor Aleksandr Lvov, Acting Head of the Department of the History of Philosophy at St Petersburg University, delivered a speech on the topic ‘In the Networks of the Web of Memory: Media Reality as a Challenge to Historical Consciousness’. In his report, he noted that the problem of the relationship between the media sphere and historical consciousness affects everyone. ‘In the modern media environment, values often serve as a tool to achieve specific goals,’ he said. ‘Jean Baudrillard clearly demonstrated this in his works “The Gulf War Did Not Take Place” and “Simulacra and Simulation”. Modern reality, including the space of political possibilities, is the reality in which simulacra, which are pure signifiers without a signified, can exist and influence decision-making.’ He added that the difference between values and means is being destroyed: values today serve an instrumental function rather than an axiological one. Aleksandr Lvov concluded that changes at the personal, collective, and ideological levels have made efficiency a measure of being, and media reality has gained the power to direct historical consciousness in the right direction.

Oleg Chernykh, Editor-in-Chief of the Leningrad Regional TV company, shared a practitioner’s perspective on the subject. He spoke about the transformation of public consciousness using the cognitive wars related to the conflict in Ukraine as a case study. He also analysed the role of journalism and new media in this process. According to him, information warfare is different from cognitive warfare: while the former involves the use of informational tools, the latter focuses on immersing the audience in an emotionally unstable state, particularly targeting “adult teenagers” who are prone to resorting to violence. Oleg Chernykh identified four media structures within a modern individual, built based on the level of trust: the first is composed of close relatives and friends; it is followed by the inner circle of associates; then new media platforms, which include public opinion leaders; and lastly, traditional media. However, the editor-in-chief of LenTV24 emphasised that it is the new media platforms that serve as the primary battleground for cognitive wars today.

Vasiliy Shchipkov, Director of the Russian Expert School and Assistant Professor at MGIMO University, also participated in the discussion on values. He presented a report on the role of media during the religious renaissance.

In recent years, we have witnessed a growing demand for religious interpretations of events. We can confidently say that something similar occurred a century ago, during the Silver Age.

Vasiliy Shchipkov, Director of the Russian Expert School, Assistant Professor at MGIMO University of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Vasiliy Shchipkov emphasised that the only effective means of communication today is to centre discussions around values and to actualise the theological element within media discourse. According to the speaker, developing a post-secular culture will make value-oriented conversations even more important.

The closing speaker of the forum was Elena Vartanova, Dean of the Faculty of Journalism at Moscow State University. She discussed the new architecture of media communication and summarised the meeting’s conclusions. ‘The world is changing at such a rapid pace that we can’t even identify what to call modern society: post-crisis, post-capitalism… We live in individual ecosystems. We operate within collective historical memory fault lines that are now interconnected. We exist amidst digital inequality. This world poses challenges not only for us − those who educate media professionals − but for everyone. We understand that in this world, as media researchers, we need to define our position,’ Professor Elena Vartanova began. The media industry has faced significant challenges due to the rise of new segments of the economy brought about by digitalisation: platforms are replacing corporations, which not only alters business models but also changes the principles of communication. According to the expert, the polysubjectivity of media discourse is evident today. In addition to institutionalised traditional media, society is influenced by “new professionals” whose regulatory status is yet to be fully defined. It is also influenced by artificial intelligence, which shapes the agenda and encroaches on journalists’ work. ‘The journalism profession is becoming vulnerable,’ concluded Professor Vartanova. ‘Our research findings should be reflected in the adaptation and development of curricula, and in the creation of new courses and programmes.’

Also, on the first day of the forum, the International Conference “Language in the coordinates of mass media” commenced. Plenary reports were delivered by: Maria Konyushkevich, Professor at Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno; Vladimir Konkov, Professor in the Department of Media Linguistics at St Petersburg University; Tatiana Ivanova, Associate Professor, Director of the Institute of Language at Kazan Federal University; Branko Tošović, Professor at the Institute for Slavic Studies at the University of Graz (Austria); and Persi Ugo, Professor at the University of Bergamo (Italy). The moderator of the meeting was Liliia Duskaeva, Professor, Head of the Department of Media Linguistics at St Petersburg University.

On the second day of the forum, the “Strategic communications in business and politics” conference (‘Stratcom’) began. The first report was presented by Dmitrii Gavra, Honorary Professor at St Petersburg University, President of the Association of Lecturers in Public Relations, and Head of the Department of Public Relations in Business at St Petersburg University. His report focused on the topic “Industry 4.0: Strategic Communications and Adapting to Floating Normality. How to Combine Them? And is it Possible?”. Sergei Pilatov, Chairman of the Board of the Self-Regulatory organisation ‘Association of the Marketing Industry “Advertising Council”’, spoke about self-regulation in Russian advertising. Strategic communications expert, writer, and screenwriter Aleksandr Tsypkin addressed the question of why everyone is considered a brand today. Professor Lilia Raitskaya from MGIMO University presented a report titled “Communication Strategies: From Pessimism to Realism.” The plenary session concluded with a presentation titled ‘Television as a Catalyst for Creative Communication Strategies, a Connector, and an Antidote to “Cancellations”’ by Olga Razina, Deputy General Director for the production of thematic programmes and special projects at the St Petersburg TV channel.

Forum “Media in the modern world. The 62nd St Petersburg readings” will take place from 28 June 2023 to 1 July 2023. This year, the events will be hosted across three venues: the Higher School of Journalism and Mass Communication at St Petersburg University; the House of Journalists; and the Mendeleev Congress Hall.