THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO MEDIA’S PREVENTIVE FUNCTION

Abstract

The article examines the theoretical foundations of the media's preventive function through an integrated analysis of communicative, sociocultural, and cognitive models. The relevance of the study is conditioned by the growing significance of media influence in countering radicalization, extremist narratives, and ideologically motivated manipulation. Despite the increasing number of applied studies, the theoretical systematization of preventive media practices remains insufficiently developed, which determines the novelty of the proposed research. The purpose of the work is to conceptualize the preventive mission of media within interdisciplinary frameworks and to identify mechanisms through which media contribute to building societal resilience against extremist ideologies. The study draws upon key works in media theory, journalism studies, social communication, counterextremism research, and cognitive psychology, including contemporary perspectives on digital media transformations. The analysis demonstrates that preventive media should be understood not merely as channels of information dissemination but as instruments of value-oriented communication and cognitive influence. The results highlight the importance of communicative modeling, sociocultural mediation, and cognitive framing in shaping critical thinking, media literacy, and resistance to destructive ideological content. The findings contribute to the development of a comprehensive theoretical model of preventive media functioning and provide a conceptual basis for improving media strategies to counter radicalization in modern information environments.