PROPAGANDA CLASSIFICATION: TRADITION AND NEW APPROACHES

Abstract

The analysis indicates that propaganda, in the contemporary context of the Russo-Ukrainian war, presents a challenge not only to Ukrainian defense, but also to the everyday life of every Ukrainian. As the result – Ukrainian society constantly encounters propaganda as conceptualized perspective on specific phenomena or problem, and each citizen of Ukraine inevitably faces the need to counteract this social influence daily.

This research argues that the enemy`s most sophisticated propaganda incorporates philosophical foundations, operating either fully in alignment with social-philosophical concepts or evidently intersecting with philosophical ideas, such as those of Guy Debord or Jacques Ellul. Hence, the central hypothesis of the study is that if propaganda is constructed upon these philosophical concepts, a mirrored usage of these same concepts might aid in effectively countering it.

In Ukraine, propaganda research typically relies either on psychology or on journalism. In such communication, the most common approach of propaganda involves fact-checking, followed by refuting the claims made by the propagandist. Consequently, we are always one step behind, essentially treating symptoms rather than addressing the root cause. This study demonstrates how propaganda can be conceptualized in a way that highlights its key elements and clarifies the propagandist’s true objectives, even in cases involving covert and structurally complex informational-psychological operations conducted by intelligence services.

The research further argues that propaganda can be characterized not merely by factual accuracy, vividness, or distribution methods – as most researchers currently typologize it – but instead by classifying it based on the forms of influence it exerts on individual and social consciousness.