Today, society is in a deep crisis caused by the transition from an industrial to an informational society. Moreover, humanity has found itself in a situation of living in two forms of reality: a new form, virtual, has been added to the natural one that has been characteristic of the entire period of human history. The Internet, without which no processes of modern society are conceivable, and the media are directly and indirectly changing or contributing to humanity itself. We are witnessing the inclusion of knowledge and information among the primary productive and economic resources, and we are seeing the increasing socio-cultural dynamics of human problems in the new society. It is impossible to imagine today without the media and their influence on each and every one of us. Media education has already acquired the status of a socio-cultural phenomenon, capable of fulfilling the role of sociology and thereby analyzing the structures of social relations as they emerge in the course of social interaction. Moreover, media education is actively emerging as a new pedagogical field. Today we are confronted with various processes aimed at changing and modernizing the established standards of different spheres of social development. And propaganda is taking the lead.
According to GfK Consumer Life research, globally, 46% of consumers say they are willing to pay for a product that makes their life easier. And manufacturers are meeting them halfway, releasing new upgrades of devices. But is life getting easier?
Technological expansion is happening all too quickly, changing human perceptions of the world. During the twentieth century, humanity became convinced of the destructive power of technology. Accidents, man-made and environmental disasters provoked an increase in the number of people experiencing irrational fear or anxiety about the consequences of technological inventions. While people experienced religious awe of the unknown in the past, now technology falls into the category of danger. Some people like to be afraid, and even more so, to frighten those around them. Perhaps this explains the popularity of horror movies, including dystopias depicting a world of humans enslaved by machines. The number of frightening news reports has also increased considerably.
It is a fact that people willingly believe fake scoops. The news needs to be catchy and terrifying. And it has to be credible. Often people simply do not have the time, energy, or desire to find out whether or not it is true. But one has enough strength to begin to worry, to feel anxiety, and, as a consequence, to commit reckless acts. Nevertheless, suppose one treats incoming data with a certain amount of skepticism, checks the information, uses the knowledge obtained in school in everyday life, and trusts technology development. In that case, it is possible to reduce these fears to a minimum.
