Digital Socialization of Young Adults: Trends and Tendencies in Communications

The article presents the results of an empirical study, focused on the trends and tendencies in digital socialization of young adults. The study took place from March to June, 2022, and included 148 participants at the age of 18 -24 years old. The study shows that despite the leading role of social networking and instant messaging in communication, young people are focused on personal interaction with friends. The majority of the respondents perceive online relationships and friendship as identical to real relationships, also due to the fact that the majority of friends in social networks are their real acquaintances. Young people are attracted to socializing via social networks due to the freedom of self-expression and the opportunity to hear other people’s opinions that social networks provide them with. At the same time, young people’s negative feelings are mainly caused by conflicts, "trolls" and aggressive messages. In addition, communication via social networks supports young people emotionally, it helps them to cope with feelings of loneliness. Young people rarely encounter negative messages or become bullying victims on the Internet, although most of the respondents have had such experience in the past.

1. Bolotova A.K. Psihologiya organizacii vremeni: Uchebnoe posobie dlya studentov vuzov [Psychology of time organization: Textbook for university students]. Moscow: Aspekt Press, 2006. 254 p.
2. Danilov S.A. Riski i potencial internet-socializacii molodezhi [Risks and Potential of Internet Socialization of Youth]. Izv. Sarat. un-ta Nov. ser. Ser. Filosofiya. Psihologiya. Pedagogika = Saratov University. Series. Philosophy. Psychology. Pedagogy, 2012, no. 3, pp. 42–46. URL: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/riski-i-potentsial-internet-sotsializatsii-molodezhi (access date: 22.09.2022). (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)
3. Demin P.N. Riski i vozmozhnosti onlajn-socializacii podrostkov i molodezhi [Risks and opportunities of online socialization of teenagers and youth]. Cennosti i smysly = Values and meanings, 2022, № 3 (79), pp. 76–85. https://doi.org/10.24412/2071-6427-2022-3 -76–85. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)
4. Elishev S.O. Molodezhnaya problematika i podhody k opredeleniyu ponyatiya “molodezh'” v sociologii [Youth problems and approaches to the definition of the concept of “youth” in sociology]. Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 18. Sociologiya i politologiya = Bulletin of the Moscow University. Series 18. Sociology and political science, 2017, no. 3, pp. 200–223. URL: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/molodezhnaya-problematika-i-podhody-k-opredeleniyu-ponyatiya-molodezh-v-sotsiologii (access date: 22.09.2022). (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)
5. Zubok Y.U. A., Chuprov V.I. Sovremennaya Sociologiya molodezhi: izmenyayushchayasya real'nost' i novye teoreticheskie podhody [Modern Sociology of Youth: Changing Reality and New Theoretical Approaches] // Rossiya reformiruyushchayasya = Reforming Russia, 2017, no. 15, pp. 12–48. URL: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/sovremennaya-sotsiologiya-molodezhi-izmenyayuschayasya-realnost-i-novye-teoreticheskie-podhody (access date: 22.09.2022). (In Russ.).
6. Maslov V.P., Gnatyuk M.A., Samygin S.I. Setevoe soobshchestvo: riski i ugrozy Internet-sredy dlya kibersocializacii molodezhi [Network community: risks and threats of the Internet environment for youth cybersocialization]. Gumanitarnye, social'no-ekonomicheskie i obshchestvennye nauki = Humanitarian, socio-economic and social sciences, 2018, no. 8, pp. 39–42. URL: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/setevoe-soobschestvo-riski-i-ugrozy-internet-sredy-dlya-kibersotsializatsii-molodezhi (access date: 22.09.2022).
7. Tarhanova I.Yu. Socializaciya molodezhi sredstvami internet-kommunikacij [Socialization of youth by means of Internet communications]. Vestnik Kostromskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriya: Pedagogika. Psihologiya. Sociokinetika = Bulletin of the Kostroma State University. Series: Pedagogy. Psychology. Sociokinetics, 2017, no. 4. URL: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/sotsializatsiya-molodezhi-sredstvami-internet-kommunikatsiy (access date: 23.09.2022).
8. Yarceva E.A. Socializaciya molodezhi v sovremennom obshchestve [Socialization of youth in modern society] Evrazijskij Soyuz Uchenyh = Eurasian Union of Scientists, 2015, no. 9-5(18). URL: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/sotsializatsiya-molodezhi-v-sovremennom-obschestve-1 (access date: 22.09.2022).
9. Little W. Introduction to Sociology. 1st Canadian Edition. Victoria, B.C.: BCcampus. 2014. Available at: https://opentextbc.ca/ introductiontosociology/ Cover image: Inverted Reflections b