METAPHORICAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE INFORMATION SOCIETY

The relevance of the topic lies in the fact that metaphors shape the way of thinking, determine the values and strategies for the development of the information environment. They help to explain complex processes in an accessible form and influence public consciousness. The aim of the article is to clarify the key characteristics of the information society on the basis of existing metaphors for its interpretation and to show the cause-and-effect relationship between the development of the «products» of the information society and the rapid growth of technologies in the information sphere. The diversity of views on the phenomenon of the «information society» gives rise to many variants of conceptual metaphors: «technotronic era» (Coll. Brzezinski); «mature society» (D. Gabor); «technological society» (J. Ellul); «superindustrial society» (E. Toffler); «postmodern society» (J.-F. Lyotard), which are also like other metaphors applied to modern society. They emphasize the characteristic features, make additions, but in general actualize the understanding of the set of processes that affect the development of society as a system. Conceptualization of this topic through metaphors opens the way to interdisciplinary understanding: sociological, philosophical, cultural. After all, the information society cannot be reduced only to technologies, it includes symbolic, communicative and value dimensions. The metaphorical approach is not a substitute for rigorous analysis, but rather complements it, providing researchers with a tool for a deeper understanding of the transformations of the modern world. The article demonstrates that the fundamental concept of «society» in philosophy and sociology, during the creation and development of theoretical frameworks that describe changes occurring at specific stages of human civilization's development, has been supplemented by metaphorical terms.These terms delineate temporal boundaries and define distinctive features of the social system. The most significant aspects of studying the information society are identified (technological, symbolic, cultural, psychological, globalization, and political), and the general characteristics of the information society are highlighted. The article shows that the concept of «society», fundamental to philosophy and sociology, in the process of creating and developing theoretical constructs that allow describing changes occurring at a specific stage of the development of human civilization, was supplemented by metaphorical terms, with the help of which temporal boundaries were outlined, distinctive features of the social system were determined. The most significant aspects of the study of the information society (technological, symbolic, cultural, psychological, globalization and political) are outlined, and generalizing features of the information society are highlighted. The conclusion is made that the modern information society is often described not only through strict scientific definitions, but also with the help of metaphors that reflect the complexity and multidimensionality of this phenomenon. Metaphoricity allows for a deeper understanding of the nature of information processes: for example, society as a «network», «organism», «mirror», «knowledge market» or even «cyberspace». They emphasize characteristic features, make additions, but in general actualize the understanding of the set of processes that influence the development of society as a system.