Mediatization as a process of the interaction between the author and the audience on the example of the figure of Vasyl Stus in the ukrainian media during the period of independence

This article has performed a detailed analysis of interactions between the media, literature and society; it also focuses on the process of transformation of an author into a public, media figure in the current popular discourse and studies the role of mass media in such transformations, taking as an example the figure of Vasyl Stus. Therefore, while working on the paper, the concept of “Artist mediatization” is used, as a process of mediating the communication in Ukrainian mass media space. By mediatization, one understands the process of mutual dependence of media and social institutions, which is characterized by duality, as mass media become integrated into the activities of social and cultural spheres. The role of the media in the formation of cultural images for the creation of a wide range of (often stereotypical) artistic identities is studied: how they are used by cultural figures, artists, publicists, but also how they are used by “image makers”. The concept of mediatization focuses on the usage of various media by artists and other important agents in the cultural field. This paper takes as an example the materials related thematically to the figure of Vasyl Stus in the media, and studies the relationship between the author and his work, the media promotion of the author’s themes, and vice versa – the dependence and expectations of the audience and mass media on these themes are analyzed. As a result of these studies of publications in the media, it is found that the figure of Vasyl Stus is constantly in the field of attention of modern media communications.

During the independence of the Ukrainian state, a complete collection of Vasyl Stus’s works was published, screen and stage adaptations based on his works were made, journalistic and documentary materials were published, in particular, the most famous one is Vakhtang Kipiani’s book “The Case of Vasyl Stus”; it contains documents about the legal case prosecuted by the Soviet system, to ensure “justice” is served to the writer. The ideas he advocated in his letters, his journalism, and artistic texts are extremely relevant in the modern conditions of wartime. The paper analyses the influence of Stus’s symbolic, emotional and entertainment appeal of the content on the spread of media in the era of media convergence, the issues of revival of national consciousness, preservation of the Ukrainian language and culture, which troubled the consciousness of V. Stus and this issue still stays relevant today, especially during the war in Ukraine. It is also important to note that the aggravation of the public debate, court proceedings that accompanied the social communication around the writer can be considered as part of the war in the information space.

The article also analyses the influence of information and communication tech­nologies on the communication processes in the field of culture, the interaction between the author’s heritage and society in the age of digital media; and each of his letters, poems or publicist articles, speaking to us today, poses deep questions to our souls, minds and conscience, encourages us to strive for more and to be formed as a stable nation with its own identity, unique historical heritage and high spiritual values. The article is devoted to the 85th anniversary of the birth of Vasyl Stus.

Keywords: mediatization, media, Internet communication, cultural journalism, media promotion, media communications.

doi: 10.32403/0554-4866-2023-1-85-184-197