ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES OF MANIPULATION IN POLITICAL MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

Abstract

The article attempts to analyze «alternative facts» as a means of manipulating public opinion by substituting real data for distorted ones, as well as the dominance of emotional and sensory perception of information over obvious evidence and reasonable refutation of fakes. The question of the provenance of manipulative technologies, their role in the formation of public opinion, which has direct manifestations and influence on political modeling communication in the Western world, is raised. The facts of distortion of information are considered as an attempt to pretend that what is desired is real, political manipulation, as well as the transmission of an outright lie based on its uncritical perception by the public and the media community. The aim of the study was to analyze numerous cases of fake news during Trump's presidency, due to the unprecedented number of such cases and the scaling of information through social media (especially Twitter). The research methods follow from the outlined goal, and include system-structural analysis, qualitative and content analysis of materials (messages) of social networks and news channels in the historiographical aspect. The results of the study showed the development of this phenomenon in the manipulative denial of obvious facts (meaning such cornerstone socially significant topics as the harm from smoking, vaccination, global warming, etc.). The main socio-psychological effects that arise as a result of such manipulations and the associated decline of traditional media and the active development of social networks are considered. It is concluded that information distortion as a form of manipulation can be defined as a form of ideological superiority, when another person seeks to convince of something, regardless of whether there is convincing evidence or not. This formulation of the question opens up significant opportunities for further research. In addition, it derives the main conceptual foundations for the study and development of new practical approaches to the issues of alternative manipulation strategies of communication in political marketing, as well as the search for effective methods of countering these strategies.