Communication in a closed information space
Communication history and modernity includes a large number of various practices that can be perceived as closed communication systems, which include a set of actions used in a particular area and with specific targets. All of them can be divided into successful and unsuccessful. Successful are such communicative practices that are used for a long time in various states, social environments and ideological contexts. They include a wide range of different communicative actions and demonstrate verifiable effectiveness, which manifests itself through the invariable achievement of clearly verbalized tasks. Communication within Freemasonry is undoubtedly among these practices. This communicative practice has existed for at least three hundred years and, judging by archival materials, essentially has not changed, remaining as regulated and mandatory as it was centuries ago and continuing to attract and retain new adepts. In the article, this communicative practice is analyzed in relation to modern Freemasonry. The result of the analysis is the description of the structure of the practice and the identification of the totality of the communicative actions used in it. Both are useful not only as an element of the history of communication, but also as a tool, the potential use of which, according to the authors, is wide and varied. A closed space deforms communication. It is capable of generating positive and negative communicative effects. Their manifestations are associated with the ritualization of the information transmission and the emergence of centripetal forces that ensure the collective’s attention on certain topics.