The Image of a Hero in the Modern Russian Media Space: Methodology and Research Practice

Abstract

The article describes the methodology and specific practical techniques for creating an automated system for monitoring the presence of the hero's image in the modern Russian media space. As a media category that requires recognition in the public consciousness, the hero acts as an intermediary in the transmission of ideas and values from the generating center (such as the government or the church) to the masses. In the eras preceding the dominance of the sign-symbolic hyperreality generated by mass media, the creation of the hero's image (heroization) was more "natural" (spontaneous), reflecting the personal response to the challenges of the time inspired by cultural traditions. However, in the context of the modern information society, and especially after the emergence of interactive forms of mass communication, the possibilities for constructing the image of a hero with predetermined parameters have expanded. Modern technologies of social engineering and media tools allow for the simulation of value systems with predetermined manipulative characteristics. The emotionally charged and mythologized traditional image of a hero is particularly vulnerable. The study's topology of the Russian media space, based on the audience reach of mass media, reflects the existing structure of media consumption. The analysis of the current state of theoretical and applied research in the field of forming ideas about "hero" and "heroic" allowed the authors to develop a research methodology and approach the construction of a research concept defined as "the image of a modern hero." The heroic content quantification mechanism proposed in the work allows for monitoring and evaluating how "heroic" content is presented in the mass media and social networks and how it is perceived by consumers. The noted methodology became the theoretical basis, and the quantification mechanism defined the technical specification, which was implemented as an automated heroic content monitoring system with a correspondingly trained neural network to solve the problem of classifying messages into classes related to various aspects of the heroic image.