Conceptual foundations of manipulation
- DOI
- 10.5922/2225-5346-2025-1-2
- Pages
- 24-38
Abstract
The formation and operation of the global information environment, along with the increased speed of information dissemination driven by advances in information technologies, present a significant challenge to modern society. This acceleration leads to excessive cognitive load, which diminishes the ability to critically evaluate and analyse received information. This article explores the conceptual processes that underpin manipulative influences within media discourse. Through a conceptual analysis of contemporary English-language media, using the News on the Web corpus, the study identifies and describes key types of conceptual transfers that serve as the foundation of manipulative acts. The cognitive mechanisms of analogy, metaphorization, emotionalization, profiling, attribution, framing, scripting, and their numerous combinations form the basis of manipulation in modern English-language media texts. These processes are characterized by dynamism and polydomain interaction, making their identification and analysis even more complex. The dynamic nature of conceptual transfers is driven by the functioning of the experiencer's conceptual system, which continuously processes sensory data at pre-conceptual, conceptual, and category levels. Polydomain transfers enable agents of a manipulative act to craft layered conceptual narratives that target various levels of perception and interpretation, thus making manipulative effects more difficult to detect. The study of conceptual transfer in relation to manipulation is particularly crucial in the context of the global information environment, where media serves as the primary channel for the dissemination of news and opinions. A deeper understanding of the cognitive and linguistic aspects of this process is vital for developing strategies to counteract manipulative practices. This research provides an in-depth analysis of various forms of manipulation and proposes new approaches for investigating their impact on both the collective and individual experiencer.
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