Conceptualization of the Concept of Mentality in the Context of Social Communication

Abstract

The current situation of Ukraine's existential struggle for its own statehood and cultural identity requires a clear and unambiguous understanding of the foundations of this identity. In this context, the concepts of mindset and mentality need to be re-actualized due to their incomplete definition, debate, and sometimes manipulative use. The purpose of the article is to conceptualize the concepts of  mindset and mentality in their connection with social communication from the perspective of digitalization of information interactions and virtualization of culture. To achieve the goal of the study, various scientific methods were used, in particular, the method of historical and philosophical analysis, phenomenological approach, elements of analytical methodology, comparative analysis.

It was found that mindset determines the existing reception of reality «here-now-so», and mentality is formed through the description of this reception, its fixation in the thesaurus of culture and the corresponding translation in generations, as well as the formation of common experience and collective imagination. We propose to interpret the concept of mentality as a description / self-description of the set of signs of the reception of reality and the formation of individual and collective experience. The correlation between mindset and mentality in the context of noematic structures of consciousness can be outlined as a representation of the essence of the individuality of the reception of reality by communities (mindset) in the description of the signs of this representation in discursive and narrative forms (mentality). Against the background of the digitalization of social communication mechanisms and the virtualization of the space of culture and information interaction, the issue of social communication (in particular, the phenomena of information manipulation, post-truth, resentment, etc. involved in it) appears as relevant for the conceptualization of the phenomena of mindset and mentality, since it determines the possibility of resistance to both manipulative practices and the tendency to dehumanize human life forms and practices. Further research in this direction may actualize the issue of the correlation of consciousness models of language simulators and human discursive practices from the perspective of the phenomena of mindset and mentality.