Alexander Plecner – Communication Today https://communicationtoday.sk Media, marketing, communication Tue, 24 Jun 2025 18:23:51 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 https://communicationtoday.sk/wp-content/uploads/cropped-favicon-ct-32x32.png Alexander Plecner – Communication Today https://communicationtoday.sk 32 32 Critical Thinking and the Challenges of Internet https://communicationtoday.sk/critical-thinking-and-the-challenges-of-internet-2/ Wed, 17 Dec 2014 16:53:58 +0000 https://www.communicationtoday.sk/?p=1339 In this article, the author addresses some challenges to information searches and information evaluation which were brought by the Internet. Large segments of audience are exaggerating their awareness and do not realize that their online behavior is driven more by emotions than by critical assessment of primary sources. The result is growing popularity of conspiracy theories, pseudoscience, propaganda, and alternative medicine. These are all examples of biased reasoning. Due to scientists, scholars, teachers, and journalists, this trend can be considered as a potential threat to public health and democracy. Publics incapable of informed choices can be manipulated to support radical political utopia or to reject evidence based treatments. Some basic principles of media literacy, scientific literacy and critical thinking are outlined. They can be used as tools for raising awareness, enhancing reasoning and adopting more objective perspective. This article is based on assumption that behind irrational beliefs there often lies anxiety, precondition for distrust derived from childhood. Not only general users of the Internet tend to overestimate their competence in domains of their interest (so called Dunning-Kruger effect), their behavior may be affected by unrecognized emotional agenda (cautious monitoring of environment for danger, suspicious attitude towards authority figures and official sources of information). The article is enclosed with some recommendation how to evaluate information sources on the Internet and how to be more empathetic in online discussions in order to inspire to reasonable and healthy choices.

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]]> Critical Thinking and the Challenges of Internet https://communicationtoday.sk/critical-thinking-and-the-challenges-of-internet/ Wed, 17 Dec 2014 16:47:50 +0000 https://www.communicationtoday.sk/?p=1335 In this article, the author addresses some challenges to information searches and information evaluation which were brought by the Internet. Large segments of audience are exaggerating their awareness and do not realize that their online behavior is driven more by emotions than by critical assessment of primary sources. The result is growing popularity of conspiracy theories, pseudoscience, propaganda, and alternative medicine. These are all examples of biased reasoning. Due to scientists, scholars, teachers, and journalists, this trend can be considered as a potential threat to public health and democracy. Publics incapable of informed choices can be manipulated to support radical political utopia or to reject evidence based treatments. Some basic principles of media literacy, scientific literacy and critical thinking are outlined. They can be used as tools for raising awareness, enhancing reasoning and adopting more objective perspective. This article is based on assumption that behind irrational beliefs there often lies anxiety, precondition for distrust derived from childhood. Not only general users of the Internet tend to overestimate their competence in domains of their interest (so called Dunning-Kruger effect), their behavior may be affected by unrecognized emotional agenda (cautious monitoring of environment for danger, suspicious attitude towards authority figures and official sources of information). The article is enclosed with some recommendation how to evaluate information sources on the Internet and how to be more empathetic in online discussions in order to inspire to reasonable and healthy choices.

01_Plencner_CT-2-2014  Download

]]> Interview with Zygmunt Bauman: Factors Which Made Holocaust Possible, Are Still With Us. Because We Are Still Modern https://communicationtoday.sk/interview-with-zygmunt-bauman-factors-which-made-holocaust-possible-are-still-with-us-because-we-are-still-modern/ Fri, 02 May 2014 07:33:21 +0000 https://www.communicationtoday.sk/?p=1034 Zygmunt Bauman (1925) is a Polish sociologist who left to England, where he has published his major works on modernity, Holocaust, globalization, consumerism, morality, rationality and social exclusion. In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, he has been well known since the sixties, when first translations of his books appeared. After 1989 other works were published, notably Modernity and the Holocaust, Globalization: The Human Consequences and Liquid Modernity. Zygmunt Bauman is one of the Europe’s most influential sociologists, British Guardian has labelled him “the most influential sociologist working in Europe.” Dennis Smith described Bauman as “the Prophet of Postmodernity” in a book of the same name from the series devoted to key contemporary thinkers. University of SS. Cyril and Methodius awarded him with a Degree of Doctor Honoris Causa upon Zygmunt Bauman on 5th November 2013.

07_Plecner_Volko_CT-1-2014  Download

]]> Interview with Zygmunt Bauman: Factors Which Made Holocaust Possible, Are Still With Us. Because We Are Still Modern https://communicationtoday.sk/interview-with-zygmunt-bauman-factors-which-made-holocaust-possible-are-still-with-us-because-we-are-still-modern-2/ Fri, 02 May 2014 07:33:21 +0000 https://www.communicationtoday.sk/?p=1036 Zygmunt Bauman (1925) is a Polish sociologist who left to England, where he has published his major works on modernity, Holocaust, globalization, consumerism, morality, rationality and social exclusion. In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, he has been well known since the sixties, when first translations of his books appeared. After 1989 other works were published, notably Modernity and the Holocaust, Globalization: The Human Consequences and Liquid Modernity. Zygmunt Bauman is one of the Europe’s most influential sociologists, British Guardian has labelled him “the most influential sociologist working in Europe.” Dennis Smith described Bauman as “the Prophet of Postmodernity” in a book of the same name from the series devoted to key contemporary thinkers. University of SS. Cyril and Methodius awarded him with a Degree of Doctor Honoris Causa upon Zygmunt Bauman on 5th November 2013.

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]]> Filmový hrdina s mesianistickými črtami https://communicationtoday.sk/filmovy-hrdina-s-mesianistickymi-crtami/ Mon, 17 Feb 2014 09:16:10 +0000 https://www.communicationtoday.sk/?p=618 The author deals with the messianic traits of a hero who is a protagonist of contemporary mainstream film. Basic assumption of this paper is observation that despite the so-called “end of grand narratives” proclaimed by postmodern philosophers at the end of the last century, there are phenonema in culture clearly contradicting former predictions: renaissance of a novel, rising popularity of historical and fantastic stories and new heroes with complex character and genuine humanistic qualities. According to the author this proves the fact that human need for transpersonal values, moral patterns and stories carrying the message of meaningfulness of human des-tiny, is historically stable. The paper examines various representations of film hero within the broader context of social meanings in cinema (social dimension of film). The author describes psychoanalytic and anthropological concepts of hero as well as Jesus Christ as an archetype of Savior. Some of his special traits serve as a model for conceptualization of messianic hero and his basic characteristics. The text provides numerous examples of strong and weak heroes who alternately resurfaced the mainstream film through the decades. The author believes that the former narcissistic action hero and insecure hero is being replaced with more authentic and vibrant hero: a character who is vulnerable and commited to sacrifice in favor of others at the same time.

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]]> Film Hero With Messianic Traits https://communicationtoday.sk/film-hero-with-messianic-traits/ Mon, 17 Feb 2014 09:15:07 +0000 https://www.communicationtoday.sk/?p=596 The author deals with the messianic traits of a hero who is a protagonist of contemporary mainstream film. Basic assumption of this paper is observation that despite the so-called “end of grand narratives” proclaimed by postmodern philosophers at the end of the last century, there are phenonema in culture clearly contradicting former predictions: renaissance of a novel, rising popularity of historical and fantastic stories and new heroes with complex character and genuine humanistic qualities. According to the author this proves the fact that human need for transpersonal values, moral patterns and stories carrying the message of meaningfulness of human des-tiny, is historically stable. The paper examines various representations of film hero within the broader context of social meanings in cinema (social dimension of film). The author describes psychoanalytic and anthropological concepts of hero as well as Jesus Christ as an archetype of Savior. Some of his special traits serve as a model for conceptualization of messianic hero and his basic characteristics. The text provides numerous examples of strong and weak heroes who alternately resurfaced the mainstream film through the decades. The author believes that the former narcissistic action hero and insecure hero is being replaced with more authentic and vibrant hero: a character who is vulnerable and commited to sacrifice in favor of others at the same time.

03_Plecner_CT-2-2013  Download

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