PROVOCATIVE LEXIS OF SHOKTAINMENT AS A MEANS OF INCREASING NEWS RATINGS IN THE POSTMODERN ERA

Abstract

The article examines the urgent problem of modern media development associated with the use of destructive technologies to increase the ratings of publications. The aim of the article is to study shocktainment provocative lexis as a means of increasing the rating of news in the postmodern era using the example of 200 materials from the British media (articles in “The Mirror”, “The Guardian”, “The Times”, “Daily Express” and other media in 2021). The scientific and practical significance of the research lies in the contribution of the article’s authors to the development of scientific knowledge on this topic, as well as the theory and practice of media discourse and mass communication in general. The research methodology is based on the use of special methods: linguistics, cultural linguistics analysis of the British media texts, contextual analysis of the use of shocktainment technology in news materials, collection, generalization and analysis of information from lexicographic sources with elements of shocktainment.

The authors concluded that the overwhelming majority of materials in the British media (90%) contain specific language elements of shocktainment in order to increase the rating of publications that have a destructive effect on the mass consciousness, but solve the problem of maximum engagement of readers. The value of the study lies in the fact that the authors made a forecast regarding the future development of the situation: the shocktainment technology will develop and become more rigid and coarse, which is due to the unstable system of international relations and the lack of global regulation of media activities.