Digital Deviance as a Phenomenon of New Social Reality: Methodological Foundations and Conceptualization

Abstract

This article deals with the current issue to develop the phenomena and processes, which characterize the transition to new social reality in a global course for the universal digitization of human life. Referring to the existing polemical and negative discourse in the academic circles as to digital technology influencing man, the author’s focus turns to the question of how digital technology influences an average member of society. To answer this question, one should take into account not only “liquid” social reality, but digital trends. The paper presents the author’s definition of theirs. Further, the author refers to deviance study as part of sociological knowledge through which it is possible to make a comprehensive analysis of the social destruction. By using a historiographic analysis it is concluded that, not rejecting the described theories, in the transition to digital social reality there is a need for specifying and conceptualizing the theory of deviant behaviour adequate to the changing times in society. The reasons given for deviant behaviour the author provides the fundamental and system-creating processes of society as a whole. Among the reasons of no small important analyzed by the author, for instance, the impact of globalization or the substantial transformations of science and education, the changes in happening to modern man under the influence of the digital environment are emphasized. The author notes that modern man has new social-psychological traits, conditions, characteristics. The paper gives their description classified according to their influence on the member of society. When being more approximately studied by researchers, these new conditions, reactions and traits blend in the new forms of deviance. The article also theorises the author’s definition of digital deviance (digital deviant behaviour), its peculiarities and typology. An empirical study on measuring digital deviance by computing the relevant indicators is intended to be conducted.