Dynamics of Representations Concerning Mechanisms of Formation of Social Identity of Youth: a Review of Publications of the RSCI

Abstract

The subject of the research is the phenomenon of dissipation of the social identity of young people in modern Russian society. Purpose: to compare the reflection of this phenomenon in the academic and public consciousness. Hypothesis: the dynamics and structure of the idea of the social identity of young people at the present stage of Russia's development is not the same in the academic and public consciousness. The hypothesis was tested on the example of publications included in the RSCI database. There are two categories of publications: 1) scientific journals, dissertations, 2) conference materials. The first reflects ideas about social phenomena in the minds of the academic community; the second is in the mass consciousness of the general scientific community. Search depth 11 years (2012–2021). It included the annexation of Crimea to Russia, pension reform, the C0VID-19 pandemic, and the merger of two social support funds for the population (PF and FSS). The volume of empirical data amounted to 86341 titles of publications. The views of the authors of publications on the phenomenon under study were recorded according to five search queries: “social identity of young people”, “social security”, “social protection”, “social assistance”, “social support”. The algorithm of the relationship between these topics was studied using paired correlation analysis. It was found that the peak of publications for these requests coincided with the three-year period 2016–2018. The reflection of the problem of the social identity of young people in academic publications preceded its active discussion in conference proceedings by 4–6 years. Fundamental differences are found in the ideas about the social identity of young people in the academic and public consciousness. In scientific articles and dissertations, the social identity of young people is considered as a special case of self-organization of complex social systems, in conference materials – as a separate element of a hierarchically built deterministic financial system. The results obtained are regarded by us as proof of the correctness of the null hypothesis put forward. Possible areas of application of the results of the study: youth, social and demographic policy of the state at a new stage of socio-economic reforms. The limitation for the implementation of the research results in the practice of social management may be the effect of inertial public opinion and mass consciousness, as well as the financial interests of individual lobbies currently involved in the implementation of social projects. Directions for future research – targeted monitoring of the transformation of the mass in accordance with the requirements of the modern technological revolution.