Various Aspects of Communication in the Digital Environment of College Students

In the modern world, the digital environment has become the main platform for social life and the formation of youth identity, which actualizes the study of the specifics of online communication, which is fundamentally different from live communication in the absence of non-verbal signals and the introduction of new social norms. This article is devoted to the analysis of the communicative behavior of college students on the Web. Based on the data obtained by the questionnaire survey, the paper examines three key aspects: the prevailing emotional background of users, their role preferences and typical behavioral reactions to various phenomena of the digital environment. The results of the study show that for most students, the Internet performs, first of all, a hedonistic function – it serves as a space for entertainment and positive emotions. When analyzing role preferences, it was found that the most popular behaviors are «observer», «interlocutor» and «friend». At the same time, the destructive role of the «troll» was highlighted as significant, which 14% of the respondents noted for themselves. In addition, the study revealed the predominance of pragmatic caution among respondents: the majority demonstrate skepticism towards dubious information and are not ready for full disclosure of personal data when dating. At the same time, most of the respondents will ignore the insult in the Network, without trying to understand the situation constructively, a small part of the respondents will turn to the moderators or peacefully find out about the reasons for the abusive attitude. There are also some respondents who respond with aggression to aggression, who are ready to de-anonymize when meeting a new person online, distributing questionable materials, and incorrectly commenting on posts. Given the identified features of interaction with the digital environment and its very specifics, an important area worth paying attention to is the development of digital competence of underage students, which includes, among other things, teaching teenagers the skills of the most effective and safe interaction with other users on the Web.