COMMUNICATIVE FUNCTION OF MIRROR NEURONS: TO THE THEORY OF MASS MEDIA

Abstract

In the conditions of the growing role of mass media in the society the relevance of a problem of ontologic reliability of widely broadcast ideas of reality also grows. To specify the mass media ability to create the imitated copy of reality the author addresses the data of modern neuroscience on the so-called brain mirror cells. Neuroscientific research shows that at multiple socially approved repetitions the brain can confuse the real object of reflection with its imitation. The author’s purpose is to carry out a correlative analysis of the two phenomena for which the function of ensuring communication is the leading one. They are the following: (1) copying and self-copying activity of mirror neurons of the brain and (2) construction of an imitated copy of the reality by means of the mass media which are tuned to their own reproduction through variable repetitions. Such an approach to the research of the imitating properties of mirror neurons of the brain and the actions of mass media is rather new. The sharpness of the relevance of this research is determined by the fact that artificially designed welfare representation which is constantly repeated in communication is capable of providing changes in cortical representation (Turner, Whitehead, 2008; Burton, 2013). The research problems are (1) to specify neurological factors of the possibility of broad social communication; (2) to reveal a problem link in understanding the communicative function of mirror neurons in neuroscientific research; (3) to establish a categorial basis of cross-disciplinary communications in the research of the problem of imitation of the copy of reality and (4) to define a role of philosophy in forming a cross-disciplinary methodological base for search of the solution of the specified problem. The main conclusion of the research is that the philosophical category “formal semiotic matrix” can be the basis for cross-disciplinary research of the problem of imitation of the copy of reality. The matrix contains the understanding of transformation of specifically biological mechanisms of imitation of reality (in the form of mimicry and recursion) that, being transferred into human communication, have to consider the fundamental social and anthropological bases of practical rationality of a person which are not covered by narrow scientism with its principles of empiricism and economy of resources by all means. The main methods of the research are analogy method, methods of comparative and cross-disciplinary analysis. The theoretical value of this research consists in the specification of the connection between neurological and social conditions of social communication, mass media. Such direction of the research also creates new prospects in studying the potential of consciousness, reflection. The practical application of this research is in strengthening the opportunities of self-checking and public management of the growing tendency of artificial imitation of the reality extending due to technologies of neuromarketing.