The level of development of digital hygiene skills of modern Russian youth: the results sociological research

Abstract

This article is dedicated to the results of sociological research conducted by the author to reveal the actual degree of development of the skills for the safe use of information technologies characteristic to modern Russian youth. The rapid development of information technologies and their progressive infiltration into social reality contribute escalate new risks and dangers. High activity of the representatives of Russian youth in using such technologies turns the into a risk group vulnerable to the threats of information society. Thus, the question of compliance with the rules of safe use of information technologies is extremely relevant among Russian youth. Over the recent years, this topic gained popularity within the Russian social science and humanities, but mainly on the theoretical level. The author introduces the data of the original research conducted among the youth of Yekaterinburg (N = 504) for empirical diagnostics of the development of their digital hygiene. This study indicated the controversy and development disparity of digital hygiene skills of the representatives of Russian youth. It was established that many of them perceive high Internet activity as a source of potential risks and declare a desire to comply with the rules to reduce such risks. However, the analysis demonstrates that their actual propensity to comply with the rules of safe use of information technologies is limited: some rules are observed by many, but other are often neglected. It implies that the process of development of digital hygiene skills among the representatives of Russian youth is yet not complete: despite the desire to reduce the risks associated with the use of information technologies, many of them are willing to observe only certain rules.