INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION ENVIRONMENT OF THE INTERNET AS A RESOURCE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF CIVIC COMPETENCE OF YOUTH

Abstract

The information and communication environment of the Internet is considered as a resource for the development of civic competence of young people, а unique source of information, a new social space of intersubjective interaction of users. The Internet space is a hybrid environment created by means of the information and communication technologies in the course of integration of the elements of real and virtual life. It is emphasized that modern Internet technologies create an opportunity to quickly navigate the information and communication Internet space, to interact effectively and responsibly with various social actors. Attention is drawn to the fact that the digitizing various spheres of life requires readiness and ability to constantly master the latest information and communication technologies, competently (quickly and qualitatively, consciously and responsibly) assess their opportunities and risks any modern person has to demonstrate. Civic competence is considered as the inner readiness of the individual to consciously and responsibly implement a set of civil rights and freedoms, to be responsible for their actions both in real life and in the virtual information and communication space of the Internet. The information and communication space of the Internet is defined as the space of interaction of social actors, formed with the help of Internet technologies; a set of databases, methods, technologies of their use that provide information needs of the individual. The article presents the results of the author’s empirical study of the impact of the Internet environment on such characteristics of civic competence as: responsibility for the country, awareness of the possibility of influencing socio-political processes, desire to participate in socio-political life, initiative in solving significant problems. An empirical study has shown that young people rate the impact of the Internet environment above the influence of political actors and at the level of the influence of traditional social actors. Interaction occurs at the level of micro-, meso- and macro-environment, which gives grounds to consider the Internet environment as a social metaenvironment conducive to the development of civic competence of young people.