LANGUAGE PRESENTATION OF SOCIALLY SIGNIFICANT TOPICS IN THE RUSSIAN MEDIA AND THE INTERNET COMMUNITY

Abstract

The article examines the processes of social interaction that are actively taking place in the modern Russian Internet space. Actors – journalists, bloggers, ordinary Internet users, including members of the Internet community, – demonstrate a variety of communication tactics, language means of presenting opinions, evaluative judgments, ideological imperatives in discussing socially significant media topics. This massive social Internet communication provides opportunities for extended discussions of major informational events, giving rise to lively debates which have their own specific features of linguistic expression and argumentative-rhetorical objectification, which undoubtedly attracts the attention of linguistic researchers. Of particular interest are the means, methods and techniques for actualising axiological and regulatory meanings in the situation of discussing media topoi characterised as extraordinary, i.e. political scandals, armed conflicts, terrorist attacks, international sanctions, and protest actions during elections to various authorities, natural and environmental disasters. Such media topoi can be characterised in terms of information and content as key, polar and resonant socially significant media topics for the civil society. For the Russian audience in interactive communication, these media topics are most often the dominant embodiment of the oppositions ‘one’s own – alien’ including the entire range of polarity of opinions and evaluative judgments in the tone of solidarity/ distancing, support/discrediting, accusation of legality/llegality, doubt/disagreement, etc.