Metamorphoses of digital multi-subjectivity: the regulatives of soft governance vs a programmed society

Abstract

The article is devoted to an urgent and controversial topic– the spontaneous formation of regulators for managing the behavior of subjects in the virtual world in the context of digital transformation and hybrid social space and the impact of these processes on the social order. The diversity of subjects (multi-subjects) is represented both by traditional subjects of society in the virtual space (representatives of government bodies, citizens and their associations included in digital communications), The diversity of subjects (multi-subjects ) is represented both by traditional subjects of society in the virtual space (representatives of government bodies, citizens and their associations included in digital communications), the transformed form virtual reality, that is the actor of virtual reality with a high level of anonymity; and by techno-subjects (products with built-in artificial intelligence algorithms (chatbots, neural networks, digital twins, etc.) showing some elements of subjectivity (the possibility of influencing the behavior of communication participants, the possession of technosubjects by a social body (according to V.Tikhonov). Soft governance is considered as a democratic style of subject-subject management through influencing culture, con-sciousness, behavior with the transfer of necessary powers to participants and the use of informal communication methods. The regulatives of programmed society have high risks of blatant manipulation by authorities or anonymous power contenders. The regulatives of Soft governance have a dual basis: the establishment of laws, rules and instructions for all types of subjects, regulations for coordinating the interests of partners in participatory interactions, the development of a resistant reaction to manipulative influences, technical and technological services in ecosystems and digital platforms. But soft governance regulatives have signs of a latent and manipulative nature also. It is concluded that it is necessary to include all these aspects in the problems of the scientific discipline "Sociology of Management".