Rumors, gossip and myths in the sphere of ukrainian prague emigration (1921–1939)

Abstract

Introduction. Rumors, gossip and myths are information technologies for influencing mass consciousness. The essential difference is that rumor and gossip are informal mass information processes, whereas myth is a conscious means and object of manipulation, a generalized idea of reality, combining moral, ethical, and psychological ideas, installations that connect reality with mysticism. In a positive sense, the myth is capable of raising the masses to constructive actions; in the negative - the myth is a conscious deception, but not in the fact of the evil intention, but because of the sincere faith of his (myth) organizers in this or that idea, program.

Purpose. Rumors and gossip are informal mass information processes.
They are a special layer not only of human communication, but of human culture in general; layer. Speaking of rumors and gossip, it is primarily their negative context that is implied, but like every medal having two sides, rumors and gossip are of positive significance.

Methods. In a historical specific context, rumors and gossip are special
cultural and communicative practices used by individuals and groups, society and the state. They perform important social functions: form and express the most common social fears and expectations; articulate criticism and resistance; rally «dissent» groups of the population; provide communication, conducive to the formation of social identity and «sense of belonging»; provide individuals guidelines for their integration into communities and groups; informally run the society, especially in critical situations; serve as an indicator of public sentiments and dispositions in the absence or inadequate development of democratic institutions.

Results. Hearing is a message about an important event for the audience, which is verbally transmitted from one person to another, and the authenticity of which
at the time of distribution is not installed. Gossip is one of the varieties.
"Hearing" "Gossip" is already a rumor about someone or something, based on inaccurate or knowingly incorrect information. Rumors are different, and, accordingly, there are many grounds by which they can be classified. So, rumors
are distinguished by their content (political, economic, environmental);
time orientation (relating to the past, predictive); type of origin (spontaneous, intentional) and in relation to reality (rational, fantastic) Most often for the distribution of rumors use two classification parameters - expressive and informational.

Originality. According to the expressive parameter, there are three types: hearing-desire, hearing-scarecrow and an aggressive rumor. Then, as for the information: absolutely unreliable, just unreliable, reliable and close to reality rumors.
If we talk about gossip, then in the emigrant environment of Prague gossip, as
a rule, affected those personalities (always outstanding or not at all) who simply had a «fad», a hobby, or deliberately concealed information about themselves. According to the information parameter, rumors are divided into: absolutely unreliable, simply unreliable, reliable and close to reality.

Conclusion. Usefulness of rumors, myths and gossip is manifested, at least in several aspects: first, they the possibility of relaxation of a person who periodically gets tired of sometimes hard norms of official communication. Secondly, rumors, gossip and myths are a «demonstrative sewage» of the protest, inevitably accumulating among people in a too rigidly organized society, as it was with the emigrant community. Thirdly, informed and informal means of communication created conditions for the restructuring of the emotional emigrant sphere, that is, they relieved from some emotions and contributed to the acquisition of the other.