About the specifics of mythodesign in social networks

Darchinov Edgar Vadimovich Postgraduate student, Department of Philosophy and Socio-Political Disciplines, Kazan Innovative University named after V.G. Timiryasov 42 Moskovskaya str., Kazan, 420111, Russia darchinoved@gmail.com Other publications by this author

Introduction

In modern times, the development of digital technologies reveals a constant increase in power, which expands the spaces of their influence and increases the number of people interacting through them. There is a peculiar social demand for the development of digital technologies and their expansion in the socio-cultural space. As a result, a person is literally driven into a digital environment with no alternatives.

The digital space turns out to be comprehensive, accessible and attractive. A modern person here regularly (unnoticeably to himself) increases his pastime and functioning. As a result, virtual reality / information and communication network "Internet"/augmented reality/metaverses and real life become interconnected components of the existence of a person who has acquired a new form of identity – "electronic nomadism". Today, "electronic nomads" use mythodesign technology to create a variety of content on social networks – from simple photo publications/video reports to meaningful posts that give new knowledge. The above makes the mythodesign technology, which is addressed by the "electronic nomad" in social networks, the object of research. The purpose of the study is to show what changes occur in a "nomad" who spends a lot of time on social networks and begins to play reality, as a result of which mythodesign products displace/replace reality, emasculating human life and reducing it to the production of illusory images.

A literary review. The ideas of A.V. Ulianovsky played a special role in clarifying the specifics of myth design in social networks ^{[1; 2, pp. 117-120]}. He not only introduced the term mythodesign into scientific use, but also laid the foundations for its research in various segments of the socio-cultural space. It was thanks to A. V. Ulianovsky that a comprehensive study of myth design and its features began in the 1990s, including in marketing communications, advertising, urban space, and modern culture ^{[3, 4, 5]}. However, there are quite a lot of unexplored aspects in scientific publications about myth design, which initiated his research in social networks.

Methods. Analytical and phenomenological methods are chosen as the key methods. Thanks to them, the specifics of mythodesign technology in the existence of an "electronic nomad" were revealed, which acted as the novelty of the article.

Results and discussion

One of the most convenient forms of communication in modern times is the social network. At the same time, every year there is a steady increase in the number of users of social networks. They, "being in a permanent online state, find themselves the prey of technical devices, acquiring an unconscious electronic dependence" ^[6]. Instagram Facebook (recognized as an extremist organization and banned in the territory of the Russian Federation), Vkontakte, Twitter (blocked in the territory of the Russian Federation), LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube video hosting, etc. are particularly popular in society. They allow you to communicate freely (at any time and in any space) and create social relationships. In them, the "nomad" becomes not only an active user (consumer) of information, but also a producer, that is, an actor in the formation of information and its exchange.

One of the popular technologies that allows you to communicate on social networks is mythodesign. A.V. Ulianovsky defines mythodesign as "a type of socio-cultural technology characterized by the use of special system procedures for constructing communicative quality and the communicative subject field of a product/service and special attention to maintaining the trust of target audiences" ^{[1, pp. 154-155]}. In the work of S. S. Kalinichenko, we find the following definition: "Mythodesign is a type of socio-cultural technology for the formation of social myths, the main condition of which is the presence of mythological consciousness in society" ^{[3, pp. 148-152]}. Both authors claim that mythodesign is a socio–cultural technology with a wide field of application: it can be used in any segment of the socio-cultural space. With the help of myth design, as a result of system procedures, myths are constructed that create spaces for communication.

Speaking about design, we emphasize that it is associated with the design of something (in our context, a myth and an image on social networks) that is subordinate to a certain idea / idea and often contains intrigue. In the modern world, design occupies a leading position, it is total, penetrating into all spheres of the social.

Mythodesign as a technology consists of two components – a myth and an image. Let's consider their specific features in the context of technology.

In our study, the emphasis is on the fantasy component of the myth as a narrative about someone/something. As A.V. Ulianovsky rightly noted, today "there is no insurmountable boundary between reality, myth and falsehood – they are contextual, depend on the worldview of target audiences and the intentions of managers of social and physical reality" ^[7].

The modern myth is built around the current state of affairs / current event/incident/scandal/shocking situation. But the "electronic nomad" weaves an element of fantasy into the story of the event, translating what is happening into a unique and extraordinary format. Perhaps the "nomad" did not even take part in the event, or the event itself never happened, but in order to attract attention to his own person, he invents it.

The appeal to the myth is not accidental. The myth allows the "electronic nomad" to express himself in a fantasy perspective, using exaggerated feelings and emotions when describing possible events. This is due to the fact that the specificity of the myth "lies in the thought of a poetic-fictional ontology, an ontology presented in the image of ontogony, where being is embodied, imagining itself, giving itself an authentic image of its own essence and self-representation of its presence and its gift" ^{[8, p. 107]}. The myth is fantastical. He helps the nomad to embody desired events on his own pages on social networks, which often have no place in reality. The myth attaches importance not only to the situation, but also to its creator, the "electronic nomad".

The question arises: what mechanisms contribute to the transformation of information about the real into a myth? This transformation was described by N. Luhmann. He believed that the information in the myth "manifests itself in differences that produce differences" ^{[9, p. 95]}. This effect is achieved by superimposing two events (for example, the actual and the desired), where the difference serves as a source of new difference, resulting in the processing of information to the incredible/miraculous. The myth of the "electronic nomad" "lives off self-generated surprises, self-built tensions" ^{[9, p. 96]}. The myth plays with "deception and epiphany, ignorance and cognition, motivationally-driven representation and generalized suspicion of such motivation" ^{[9, p. 97]}. At the same time, the myth-creating "nomad" is guided by freedom in constructing a situation. "Thanks to its own production and the resolution of uncertainty, the story told is individualized" ^{[9, p. 100]} and mythologized, attracting attention to itself. The modern personalized myth has a definite purpose: to easily make subscribers/other "nomads" pay attention to the information and cause their violent reactions. Note that on social networks, everyone spies on each other, imitating and acting in a similar way: "sympathy stems ... not so much from a visible affect, but, on the contrary, from the visible situation that causes this affect" ^{[9, p. 107]}. At the same time, for "nomads" it does not matter whether the event is true or false. In social networks, myths, "real events and opinion events are constantly mixed up and form a viscous mass for the public, in which ... it is impossible to identify the source of the origin of information" ^{[9, p. 67]} and its fantasy element. The main thing in creating a myth is to capture the imagination of subscribers.

Among the criteria of a mythological story can be called a fascinating plot, sensationalism of the message, its entertainment / advertising character. Quite often, the myths of the "nomad" repeat the stories of another "nomad", spied by him on various social networks, where he is a subscriber. The above often "does not require a special communicative discussion" ^{[9, p. 114]}, but only an emotional response.

It should be noted that the "electronic nomad" creates a myth (about) his own life, which tells "a story without desire, without passion, without tension, without real events" ^{[10, p. 83]}. The myth helps the "nomad" to present the ordinary as sublime, the insignificant as significant, the banal as original. The above is clothed in a narrative narrative in which life and its eventfulness are falsified. The "nomad" himself hides behind the fantasy, thus escaping from his own reality and its problematic nature.

The second component of the myth design is the image. As you know, modernity is called the culture of images or visual culture. Today, "humanity is returning to the visual series as an ancient and, therefore, immanent way of storing and transmitting information messages" ^{[11, p. 356]}. On the pages of social networks, the "electronic nomad" prefers a lightweight way of communicating – using images. They complement the myth and even help to stage a situation born in the myth. Or vice versa: the myth complements the image with its wonderful situationality. The image clearly demonstrates the "nomad's" understanding of himself. He even more vividly emphasizes the values, aspirations, attitudes, meanings and even dreams of the "nomad".

An image in media reality and social networks is called a media image. It is "a structural visual-emotional component of virtual reality, which is a media model of objective existence, imprinted in information media and public consciousness" ^[12].

Media images and their constant replication in social networks have a powerful impact on the perception of the world, the formation of a value scale, and algorithms for the manifestation of an individual. A. R. Tuzikov rightly emphasizes, "the media offer society not only information and products, but also ideas and even a worldview" ^{[13, p. 213]}. Another thing is that the perception of these images turns out to be quite superficial and its recall is spontaneous, depends on fashionable / current trends and a certain degree of sympathy from other "nomads".

A media image is a construct that gives a (staged, constructed) result as a real one. It is no coincidence that A.V. Ulianovsky introduces the term "fictional creatures of the era of mass media", which is synonymous with the word "image". By "fictional beings" the researcher means "spontaneously, without prompting, recalled emotionally significant (relevant to the respondent), animate objects of shared reality in the entire spectrum of manifestations (beliefs, values, appearance, speech patterns, behavior, abilities, lifestyle)" ^{[14, pp. 102-116]} and "objects represented by in various media and are not the results of a personal fantasy or a representation of an inner reality that is not shared by others" ^{[14, pp. 102-116]}. As a result, users begin to subscribe on social networks to the personal pages of the "nomad" with the image they like.

The image of the "nomad" is fixed and betrayed in the form of photographs or small videos. Often, the "nomad" fixes himself. Today, there are many types of selfies that are popular with "electronic nomads": for example, extreme selfies, relfi (self-portraits with partners), felfi (photos with animals), melfi (self-portraits of men). Most often, "nomads" edit photos taken to convey a spectacular image on social networks and impress their subscribers.

What is the technology of mythodesign in photo processing? The "nomad" takes a photograph, processes it using technical devices, comes up with a mythological text for it or inserts it to an already written myth. At the same time, the image in the photo "undergoes reduction and simplification – large-scale, perspective, color" ^{[15, p. 318]}.

The "nomad" himself, constructing his image in photographs, plays the role of a photographer, an intermediary transmitting the image, and a viewer. It must be recognized that today the photographic image has an imperious power, forcing the "electronic nomads" to imitate each other.

We emphasize that "the nature of photography is antinomic" ^[16], and the image is more or less simulated. "In a photographic image that captures the surrounding world, its reality begins to fade as a result of processing": "by demonstrating reality, photography simultaneously destroys it" ^[16]. A paradox is born. The "electronic nomad" who wants to be seen hides behind a retouched photographic image where he has erased himself. The media image itself acts as an intermediary. We agree with V. A. Konev, who emphasized: "The mediator is not independent, his being is purely existential, he is not what he mediates (whom), but at the same time he represents (replaces, gives him being), the mediator of whom (what) he is" ^{[17, p. 4]}. Reflecting reality, a media image can change it beyond recognition. The media image often does not coincide with the real "electronic nomad". Moreover, a large number of photos on the social pages of the "nomad" lose their significance, turning the recorded images into garbage.

In general, in social networks, a photo with a myth is a creolized text consisting of verbal and non-verbal parts. "Nomad" captures and transmits many similar texts on social networks. Many of the texts of the "electronic nomad" turn out to be staged, showing his desire to emphasize his importance. But in the end, the nomad, believing in his own creolized text, begins to "live" by an imaginary power of attorney" ^{[18, p. 257]} and displace reality from his consciousness.

Conclusion

In the context of the study of "electronic nomadism", we have analyzed the ways of its positioning and communication in social networks. Social networks and personal pages in the media reality are becoming a fashionable trend of the media presence of "electronic nomads". They help the "nomad" to assert himself by focusing on his own person and maintaining interest in himself from other nomads. Interaction on social networks today often plays the role of cultural capital, helping to promote the "nomad" in society. Such communication fulfills the need of the "nomad" for personalization, demonstrating the Self and its differences from Others. The main thing is to come into contact with your own kind in the media reality and get a response.

Mythodesign turns out to be a convenient and attractive technology that helps the "electronic nomad" position himself on social networks. Its key components are considered to be a myth and an image (media, photo, video image). Both components are designed based on the situation. With their help, the "electronic nomad" demonstrates to subscribers himself and the eventfulness of his life. But often episodes from life turn out to be possible/desirable: they do not exist in the presented form, they are staged and designed according to a modern/fashionable trend. Mythodesign, which helps to convey constructed models of life, turns out to be a powerful technology through which material is created for the exchange of information on social networks. At the same time, the manufacturability of the myth design allows not only to connect the elements, but also to destroy them. So, technology destroys the natural in the image of a "nomad" and adds an artificial, retouched one.

Thanks to the mythodesign, the "electronic nomad" simultaneously manifests itself as a producer (of myths and images) and as a consumer of the like. With the help of mythodesign, the personal story of the "electronic nomad" is formed: he creates himself and the events of his life on social platforms. The created myth and the constructed image contribute to the self-promotion of the "electronic nomad", helping him to establish himself in the socio-cultural space and realize his own potential.

But at the same time, the technology of myth design allows a fictitious reality to establish itself. The paradox lies in the fact that mythodesign technology elevates the "electronic nomad" among his own kind. Another thing is that often the artificiality of the image does not fully satisfy the "nomad". This fact leads him to crisis states. The fantasy element of mythological stories and staged photographs are not able to reduce the psychological discomfort of the "nomad" and fill the emptiness of his soul. The lack of a critical attitude to the situation or its fearful disregard makes the "electronic nomad" run in a vicious circle.