THE INFLUENCE OF MEDIA CONTENT ON STUDENT YOUTH DURING THE WAR IN UKRAINE (BASED ON WORK WITH THE FILM “UKRAINE ON FIRE 2”)

Abstract

The article deals with the topic of influence of media content during a war. It details the reflection of the theme of war in the media space and works of artists, in particular film artists, about the format and content of media content today. The article analyses the influence of the Russian-Ukrainian war and its experience as a collective trauma, the stages of overcoming collective trauma, in particular the first of them: the creation of art objects related to traumatic events: monuments, photo albums, books of memories, exhibitions, museums, films as collective forms of people’s memories. The article suggests conditions for healing collective mental trauma, namely through collective re-living and joint creativity. This article presents the results of discussion and elaboration of the topic of the impact of war and ways of discussing difficult topics of loss through art, in particular through documentary cinema. In this context, the authors of “Ukraine on Fire 2” (as of the date: 312 episodes) present an invaluable work. The (pilot) study examines the issue of the influence of the presented media content on the psycho-emotional state of the individual during the war was considered, the feasibility of conducting group psychoeducational and film therapy classes. It focuses attention on the role and place of documentary cinema among other influential media in the information space of Ukraine. It also presents the issue of emotional perception as a need for high-quality video content in such a format that stands out from the huge mass and disrupts the routine and chaotic process of media consumption. In terms of theoretical aspects, the article advances the argumentation as to the use of documentary film as art media which best presents events during the war and can be applied in the processing of collective trauma. The educational and therapeutic format of the seminar based on the study of the film “Ukraine on Fire 2” made it possible to ecologically diagnose and work on the topic of traumatic experience. The basis is the understanding of art as a means of legitimizing the trauma of war and healing collective trauma. The article highlights the issue of the psychological impact of the film. The short format of this one-minute series resemble “flashbacks” about things that are difficult to forget and that have an emotional impact on memory: amalgam of sounds, colors and events. War events have a traumatic effect and cause trauma to the witness. The article details an ambiguous process that has a psychological impact on the authors of video testimonies, filmmakers, and viewers. Finally, it spells out the difficulties of watching the film, its perception and triggers, how to deal with this without devaluing, but on the contrary stating the importance of cinema for working with trauma.