Document Type : Editorial
Author
PhD in Sociology, Faculty Member, Faculty of Governance,Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
Abstract
War in the literature of social sciences is not defined merely as a military confrontation or a geopolitical event, but rather as a multidimensional and complex phenomenon that, in addition to military, political, economic, and cultural impacts, affects all layers of social life. War brings with it a set of structural transformations in economic, cultural, psychological, and communicative spheres; therefore, analyzing it solely within the limited framework of military or security studies is insufficient. In fact, war should be understood as a specific "social condition" in which human relations, communication patterns, and institutional structures of society undergo change and redefinition. In such a context, the issue of narrative, social perception, and the representation of war in the collective mind becomes particularly significant. War is first made meaningful in the public mind and perception before it is experienced on battlefields. This perception is largely shaped through communicative processes—meaning that media, social networks, everyday conversations, and social interactions play a crucial role in forming public understanding of the state of war and its dimensions, as well as in the process of representing this complex and multifaceted phenomenon in the collective consciousness. Thus, war can largely be considered a communicative, cultural, media, and sociological phenomenon as well. The sociology of communication demonstrates that in times of major crises, the flow of information becomes one of the most important sources of social power. The control of narratives, the framing of news, and the management of media messages can influence levels of hope, anxiety, or social cohesion. Hence, in times of war, public communication management becomes a vital element for maintaining social stability.
Keywords
Subjects
Sociology of Social Communication