Axiological Transformations in Corporate Media: The Issue of Dehumanization of Media Content

Abstract

The issue of values changes of corporate media content lays as the one of central for contemporary media discourse analysis. The actual media studies regard as a fact the dehumanization of corporate media discourse, however the core aspects of this process are still insufficiently observed by researchers. The paper discusses the main reasons, trends and features of dehumanization of the corporate media discourse. The author claims the dependence of corporate media content on the prevailing actual priorities of a company. The author analyzes the axiological differentiation of content of corporate print media basing on several media of Russian large regional enterprises, such as Belgorod energetic machines building plant and United metallurgic company. The object of the study are the texts in issues of the corporate media of various years. The methods of the study are the traditional analysis of documents and content analysis of media. The paper shows the key patterns of representation of individuals in corporate media publications in terms of dehumanization. In particular, the author discusses the shift of representation focus from the individual images and stories to the company’s resources and commercial effects of the corporate activities. The results of the study contribute to the development of analytical methodology of corporate media and also to minimizing the tendencies of dehumanization of corporate media content. The author concludes that one of the important factors for dehumanization tendencies are modern digital technologies as well as the economic realities of enterprises.