Youth and media: the impact of information technology on the political worldview

Okulovskii Maksim Dmitrievich Postgraduate student, Department of Marketing and Municipal Management, Tyumen Industrial University 70 Melnikaite str., Tyumen, Tyumen region, 625000, Russia nextgenboxmain@yandex.ru

Introduction

In the modern world, information technology plays a crucial role in the life of the younger generation, influencing their behavior, beliefs and attitudes. With the advent of new technologies, young people have become the first users and active participants of the digital era. The revolutionary changes brought about by information technology have significantly changed the way young people interact with the world around them. Nowadays, many young people cannot do without the Internet and social networks. The Internet is becoming more and more popular every year, and social networks are becoming an effective marketing tool that allows you to reach a large audience and have a significant impact on the opinion of users. Studying this process becomes an important task for understanding the current political situation and instruments of influence. Now many organizations and institutions are creating communities on various social networks to interact with young people. Social media unites all Internet platforms where users can communicate with each other using online technologies ^[1]. Social media marketing is the process of using various tools to attract attention to a brand or product through social platforms in compliance with rules and legislation. The relevance of this strategy is related to the fact that young people are increasingly using social networks as the main source of information, which affects the formation of their worldview. In the era of the vuca world, young people prefer the Internet, where they assimilate implicit messages through content. This process helps them to function successfully in society. At this age, there is a rethinking of the world around them, which is an important step in their development ^[2]. VUCA-the world is a concept describing an unpredictable, rapidly changing environment. An important stage for young people is socialization, which is based on the adoption of certain patterns of behavior and values. These characteristics have become relevant due to rapidly developing technologies, the expansion of the information space, rapidly aging professions, the inability to predict a more or less distant future, and the combination of various social roles. 

For the modern young generation, the Internet is an important factor in their socialization. It is young people who are among the most active Internet users. The influence of the Internet has led to the development of new leisure activities among the younger generation, as well as to a change in their value orientations. These changes have also led to the emergence of new practices and behaviors. However, the content of online media does not always have a positive impact on young people. In fact, there is often a negative impact on their consciousness and psyche. In addition to propaganda and other forms of influence, the Internet environment is a significant social factor that can contribute to both the formation and deformation of youth consciousness. The monthly audience of Vkontakte is 81.5 million users, and the daily audience reaches 52.3 million, as of 2023. According to VK, 45% of the Runet audience visits Vkontakte every day, and the monthly coverage reaches 76%. Thus, media education for young people is an important step towards the development of critical thinking and media literacy among the younger generation. This process promotes deeper involvement in social and political processes.Thus, the development of media culture is a crucial factor in creating a healthy society capable of adequately responding to the challenges arising in the modern information age. It is important to continue working to increase the level of media literacy among young people and create conditions for the development of critical thinking and analytical skills in future generations.

Materials and methods

To collect information, a structured questionnaire was developed, which included questions about views, beliefs, interests and attitudes towards information technologies and their impact on the political worldview. To obtain results on the importance and degree of influence of information technology on the political worldview of young people, a questionnaire was compiled with relevant questions. The object of the study was young people who take an active life position or strive for it. A streaming sample was used to select respondents, in which the respondents were representatives of the younger generation. The link to the survey was posted on social networks and sent to various chat rooms, groups with a large concentration of young people in them.  It is important to emphasize that the information obtained as a result of the study cannot be transferred to all young people in Russia, since for global conclusions on the stated problem, a representative sample is needed, which can be implemented only if reliable statistical data on the structure and composition of politically active youth of both social and antisocial orientation are available. However, the above limitations do not reduce the significance of the data obtained, since the study is analytical in nature and determines the interest in the socialization of young people in both official and informal structures. This approach to data collection and analysis of the results of the student youth survey helped to provide information accurately and objectively, to explore the impact of information technology on their views and behavior. A total of 678 people took part in the survey.

Results and discussion

The World Wide Web has become an integral part of life: with its help, work, study, recreation, entertainment are carried out, services are provided, purchases are made. The vast virtual space attracts more and more people who seek to find information here, meet the needs for communication, shopping, entertainment ^[3]. Social platforms are currently a potentially effective tool for managing the consciousness of young people, but the actual practice of such communication is far from ideal. It should be borne in mind that we live in the age of digital technologies and it is simply necessary to use affordable and legal tools to interact with young people ^[4]. Information technology has a huge positive impact on young people and their political socialization. With the help of information technology, young people can express their opinions, discuss important topics, participate in political actions and advocate for their rights. Social networks allow you to unite young people with similar views and goals, creating strong and active communities. Information technologies also contribute to the development of social activity among young people, teach them to think critically, analyze information and make informed decisions. Thanks to the Internet, young people have the opportunity to follow the political life of their country and the world, learn about important events and participate in discussions. Thus, information technology plays a key role in shaping the political culture and socialization of young people, helping them to become active citizens, ready to participate in public life and influence political processes. In general, social media offers young people a valuable tool for communication, learning, creativity and participation in public life. Proper and informed use of these platforms can help in personal development and broaden the horizons of young people ^[5]. In addition, the information space has a negative impact on young people and their political socialization in many aspects. Firstly, due to the availability of information on the Internet, young people may encounter false or distorted information, which may distort their understanding of politics and correct values. Under the influence of fake news and hidden propaganda, young people may lose the ability to think critically and analyze the political situation. Secondly, social networks and messengers can create an echo chamber in which young people are limited to seeing only certain points of view and opinions. This can lead to political discord and increase the division of society into different groups. Finally, young people, spending a lot of time on the Internet and on gadgets, lose their skills of communicating in the real world and participating in the political life of society. They may become apathetic to politics and reluctant to participate in elections and public activities. As a result, information technology can also have a negative impact on young people and their socialization if the information provided is not used wisely and critically. It is important to teach young people information analysis skills, critical thinking and active participation in the political life of society. As a result of the survey, the age indicators of the respondents were mainly in the range from 23 to 27 years old – 60% of the respondents. Most of them already have higher education – 49%, and 33% are university students.

Fig.1 Age indicators and educational level of the respondents.

Education plays a significant role in the formation of critical thinking and the ability to analyze information, including in social networks. People with education are usually more inclined to think critically, critically evaluate information and verify facts before trusting them. Educated people are more likely to recognize fake news and manipulative materials, which allows them to be more aware of the information they see on social networks. Thus, education can contribute to a higher level of trust in information published on social networks and reduce the likelihood of being too gullible about it. Further questions touched upon the frequency of using social networks as a source of political news and the credibility of news published on the Internet. It follows from the results of the survey that the majority of respondents - 59% - use social networks several times a day to obtain information related to politics: various groups and chats, 20% of respondents do this once a day, and 15% - several times a week. This suggests that social media is an important source of political information for most young people. The Internet and social media are becoming an increasingly popular source of political news for society. From the results of the following question, it became clear that the majority of respondents, 46%, either fully trust or most likely trust political news distributed via the Internet and social networks. This indicates that for many people it is an important source of information. Nevertheless, a significant part of the respondents, 36%, are not confident in the reliability of political news distributed via the Internet and social networks. Perhaps this is due to the well-known problems of fake news and distortion of information in online media. 11% of respondents expressed the improbability of trusting political news from the Internet and social networks. This indicates that for some people, the online news format is not a reliable enough source of information. In general, it can be concluded that the Internet and social networks play an important role in the dissemination of political news, but at the same time there are certain doubts about their reliability and reliability. It is recommended to be critical and check information from different sources before making any decisions based on the information received. However, it is worth remembering that the political outlook of young people is dynamic and can easily change under the influence of populism and propaganda. For this reason, in modern Russian society, the issue of developing conceptual approaches to the study of new forms and models of political behavior of the younger generation in the context of increasing information influence of the media remains relevant ^[6].

Fig.2 Frequency of social media usage. networks and trust in political news.

As a result of a question aimed at preferred sources in obtaining political news, the results were as follows. Less than 1/8 of the surveyed 12% prefer to receive information from traditional mass media (mass media). This may indicate a decreasing trust in traditional sources of information in the field of politics among young people. Almost a quarter of the survey participants, 24%, prefer to receive information about political events from the Internet and news portals. This indicates the growing popularity of online resources for getting relevant news. More than half of the respondents, 59%, prefer to receive political news through social networks. This indicates the significant role of social media in the dissemination of information about political events and shows the influence of social platforms on the formation of public opinion. The remaining 5% of the survey participants chose podcasts, video blogs and other sources of information. This indicates a variety of preferences and opportunities for obtaining information about political events. As for the interests of the respondents, the results were as follows. Domestic policy is most interesting for 37% of respondents. This means that many people care about the internal affairs of the country, such as political processes, the legal system, governance and social issues. International relations also arouse high interest among 20% of the survey participants. This suggests that some people are following the country's foreign policy, international relations and the geopolitical situation. Economy - 20%. This indicates that people are concerned about economic issues such as the country's development, standard of living, jobs, and 10% of respondents are interested in the importance of caring for the environment and climate change. Social issues are the least interesting for respondents - 13%. This may indicate that this category of interests is given less attention among the respondents, although they also play an important role in public life. Thus, the diversity of interests in politics reflects the importance of various aspects of the life and activities of the state for society.

Fig.3 Sources and topics of political interests.

The following conclusions can be drawn about the influence of information technology on the political worldview. 44% of respondents noted the very strong influence of information technology on the political worldview. This indicates that the majority of respondents believe that information technology has a significant impact on the formation of political views. Another 27% of the survey participants believe that information technology has a strong influence on the political worldview. This suggests that a significant proportion of respondents also recognize the importance of the influence of information technologies on their political beliefs. There is a group of 17% who are not sure how much information technology affects the political worldview. This may indicate uncertainty and possibly a lack of awareness on this issue. Thus, the results of this question show a variety of opinions about the impact of information technology on the political worldview, but the vast majority of respondents express confidence that information technology plays a significant role in shaping their political views.

Fig.4 The influence of information technology on the political worldview. 

As for the distortion of political events, the results are as follows. The majority of respondents, namely 63%, feel that information technology often distorts their understanding of political events. This may indicate the prevalence of the problem and the influence of media and the Internet on the formation of public opinion. 22% of respondents claim that information technology sometimes distorts their understanding of political events. This suggests that for some people, the impact of technology is less noticeable, but still present.

Fig.5 Misrepresentation and trust in published information.

Conclusions

The analysis of the influence of information technologies on the political worldview of young people has revealed key trends and features of information perception, the formation of opinions and beliefs. The use of various media platforms, social networks, news resources and blogs has a significant impact on young people, defining their political views and beliefs. The results of the study emphasize the importance of critical thinking and analytical skills among young people in the modern information society. They also emphasize the need to develop media literacy among young people so that they can consciously and critically evaluate information received through various media sources. In general, the study provides a better understanding of the mechanisms of information technology influence on the political worldview of young people and identifies ways to promote the formation of critical thinking and independent analysis of information.

Recommendations

The research topic is very relevant and important in the modern information society. For young people, who are key consumers of information and active participants in political life, it is important to understand how modern media technologies shape their views on politics. This requires the joint efforts of educational institutions, government institutions and public organizations in order to provide young people with the necessary knowledge and skills to fully participate in political life and form their own worldview. These recommendations will help modern youth to better understand the impact of information technology on their political worldview and develop critical thinking in the information society.