Pleasure before business. About the carnival code of modern television communication

Media sphere carnivalization today is becoming not only one of the key signs of the development of modern media, but also a phenomenon that describes the most essential features of media. This is most clearly manifested in audiovisual media in general and television in particular. Based on the method of content analysis, the historical-functional method, as well as taking into account the theory of carnival proposed by M.M. Bakhtin, examined various aspects of the manifestation of carnival in modern screen media. The obvious presence of such essential qualities of carnival as equality (democracy of the “golden age”), inverted hierarchy, the presence of special symbols, the removal of restrictions (taboos), fun, laughter, deception is noted. The conclusion is made about the totality of carnivalization characteristic of mass media today. Along with this, a characteristic is also noted that essentially distinguishes the modern media carnival from the carnival of the past: if previously carnival came into a person’s life according to the principle “business is time, fun is an hour,” then today television carnival is present in a person’s life in exactly the opposite way – according to the principle of “fun.” “It’s time, it’s an hour.” This changes the essence of screen communication and has a significant impact on human life and society as a whole. 

television, carnival, carnivalization, audiovisual media, screen media