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Sorokina V.S. Staging of Political Reality. – Polis. Political Studies. 2019. No. 6. P. 145-158. (In Russ.).

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staging, symbolic politics, political reality; information space, mass media.

The term ‘staging’, which appeared in the 1920s and 1930s as part of the theatrical vocabulary, acquired a new meaning with the advent of new media. Today, this concept reflects the invasion of dramaturgical principles, both in the everyday life of each person, and in global political processes. Using methodologies developed by the classics of political sociology and communication science (Baudrillard, Habermas, McLuhan) and modern researchers (Fischer-Lichte, Meyer, Schicha), the author shows how, as a result of the staging, the border between the real and the imagined is blurred. This can later be used for manipulating public opinion. The article discusses historical examples of the ‘dramatization of reality’ and its features at the present stage, and also analyzes the processes that create conditions for the popularization and widespread use of dramatization as well as its covered mechanisms. The author concludes that, amidst the growth of irrationality and uncertainty in society and the increasing role of the masses in shaping the information agenda, it is they, and not individual actors and ruling elites, who become the main ‘customer’ of the staged reality. At the same time, it becomes more and more difficult to neutralize the negative effects of the staging, since it has more than a single source and avoids control under current conditions.

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