Socio-Philosophical Analysis of Mass Media as a Factor in the Formation of Public Opinion

Computer and telecommunication technologies have led to the development of modern mass media and have made significant competition with the print edition (newspapers, magazines, and books), the dominance of telecracy, etc. The media have gone a significant path of development from a channel of information and entertainment to a political institution, significantly increasing their capabilities as an in- strument of influencing public consciousness. The study?s main purpose is to conduct a socio-philoso- phical analysis of mass media as a factor in the formation of public consciousness. In this article, the pro- cess of cognition of mass media and socio-philosophical analysis of its impact on society were used: gen- eral scientific methods; logical methods of theoretical analysis; technical analysis, clarification.