Transformation of socio-cultural values and traditions in the information age as a prerequisite for changes in the civic and political activity of Russian students
<i>Introduction.</i> The article presents the results of a theoretical study aimed at identifying the main trends of changes in socio-cultural values and traditions of modern students in the context of the inclusion of information technologies in political and social processes. We put forward the hypothesis that in the information society the socio-cultural values and traditions of students are undergoing significant transformations which are reflected in changes in traditional forms of civic and political activity. <i>Materials and methods.</i> We conducted a review of research literature in order to describe the following: 1) socio-cultural features of youth as a special social stratum in modern social reality; 2) transformation of students' socio-cultural values and traditions in the modern information society; 3) contribution of virtualisation of political and social processes to self-determination of students; 4) influence of digital technologies on the transformation of traditional forms of civic and political behaviour of young people. <i>The study results.</i> Modern students are characterised by the disintegration of socio-psychological and value unity. The value-normative uncertainty and the formation of “virtual axiology” are the most striking features of modern students. Taken together, these features underpin the emergence of political cyber-behaviour as a new phenomenon of civic and political activity of students. Political socialisation of modern students takes place in conditions of the ambiguity of the information presented on the internet, which determines the variability of civil and political identity. Th s makes the development of cognitive and personal resources of youth to be especially important: such development should, on the one hand, allows students to be included in civil and political internet activity and, on the other hand, empower them to resist the destructive influences of the internet environment. <i>Conclusion.</i> The prospects of this research include an empirical study of the Russian students' values and traditions as a prerequisite for changes in civic and political activity in various social contexts.