Modifying the humanities: global challenges of the digital revolution

Abstract

The relevance of the research is conditioned by the fact that the global challenges of the digital revolution aggravate the dynamic problems faced by the humanities in one way or another. These challenges “modify” the socio-cultural contexts, amending significantly “power maps” and economic realities, as well as traditions and norms, thus influencing the spiritual existence of man and humanity as such at a regular stage of epochal changes. The process of renewal of major institutional discourses is underway, which increases the risks and respectively the ways of their overcoming, complicating the forecasts and expertise of scenarios for the future of the humanities. The purpose of the research is to identify the basic parameters of new paradigms and concepts that influence the change in research and management prospects, as well as to actualise the specific role of humanitaristics and cultural institutions responsible for the process of formation of social consciousness and individual socialisation at the digital age. The essence of humanitaristics is conceptualised by the authors as a set of humanities supplemented by new sociocultural technologies. The research has an interdisciplinary character and is based on theoretical aspects and materials of different sciences (cultural anthropology, philosophy, culturology, semiotics, and sociology); it combines general scientific, philosophical, and culturological methods, among which cultural/historical and social/analytical methods, as well as cross-cultural analysis, are of particular importance. At the same time, the integral approach is viewed by the authors as the methodological basis for the analysis of the specified problems, since it allows a researcher to consider the whole complex of interrelations between the global media sphere, society, and the individual, which influences the evolution of the humanities significantly. The undertaken study provides an opportunity to consider the potential of digital humanitaristics in the system of social sciences, their interdisciplinary development and enhancement in the historical and cultural perspective. As a result, the mission of specialists’ humanitaristic training is identified, which defines the system of values and purports as a basis of the smart-future society. The authors assert that new sociocultural practices of informative/ communicative character are being formed, creating qualitatively changed characteristics of the developing society in digital networks, where an individual’s freedom, cultural self-identification, and opportunities for self-realisation in a virtual environment are perceived differently. Exploring different communication styles in the digital revolution period, the authors highlight such features as its independence, emotional and intellectual openness, focus on innovations, and formation of new intellectual capabilities of the individual in the Internet space – the factors that contribute to the formation of identity, self-esteem and intrinsic values, tolerance, global orientation, social and civic responsibility. This proves that humanitaristics in the 21st century is acquiring new qualities of transdisciplinarity and a new ideological status making it possible to explore human existence in the cardinally changing global landscape.