Manipulation Technology Research Articles

Generative artificial intelligence in the electoral processes of 2024 in the world: disinformation campaigns and online trolls

The article conducts research and presents some conclusions about the role of generative artificial intelligence in electoral processes. Most of the election campaigns of the heads of state and parliament of the countries of the world involve the use of modern information and communication, digital technologies and artificial intelligence technologies. The use of artificial intelligence in an election campaign can help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of a campaign, but it can also lead to misinformation of the public. Today, destructive attempts to influence people, societies and entire states are no longer new challenges on the Internet, in connection with which outright lies, political propaganda, incitement to hatred, manipulative technologies are firmly rooted in the Internet space and the latest technologies are actively used for this. The use of bots, or automated social media accounts, has greatly facilitated the dissemination of deliberately false information, as well as false rumors and other types of misinformation. However, the bots used earlier in the elections often produced poorly constructed, grammatically incorrect sentences. Now that the creation of large language models (artificial intelligence systems that create text) is becoming more accessible to more people, some researchers fear that automated social media accounts will soon become much more convincing. Disinformation campaigns and online trolls will increasingly use generative AI to spread false information about elections. Thus, new technologies can cause some harm to the social security of society.

Detection of Forged Images Using a Combination of Passive Methods Based on Neural Networks

In the current era of social media, the proliferation of images sourced from unreliable origins underscores the pressing need for robust methods to detect forged content, particularly amidst the rapid evolution of image manipulation technologies. Existing literature delineates two primary approaches to image manipulation detection: active and passive. Active techniques intervene preemptively, embedding structures into images to facilitate subsequent authenticity verification, whereas passive methods analyze image content for traces of manipulation. This study presents a novel solution to image manipulation detection by leveraging a multi-stream neural network architecture. Our approach harnesses three convolutional neural networks (CNNs) operating on distinct data streams extracted from the original image. We have developed a solution based on two passive detection methodologies. The system utilizes two separate streams to extract specific data subsets, while a third stream processes the unaltered image. Each net independently processes its respective data stream, capturing diverse facets of the image. The outputs from these nets are then fused through concatenation to ascertain whether the image has undergone manipulation, yielding a comprehensive detection framework surpassing the efficacy of its constituent methods. Our work introduces a unique dataset derived from the fusion of four publicly available datasets, featuring organically manipulated images that closely resemble real-world scenarios. This dataset offers a more authentic representation than other state-of-the-art methods that use algorithmically generated datasets based on image patches. By encompassing genuine manipulation scenarios, our dataset enhances the model’s ability to generalize across varied manipulation techniques, thereby improving its performance in real-world settings. After training, the merged approach obtained an accuracy of 89.59% in the set of validation images, significantly higher than the model trained with only unaltered images, which obtained 78.64%, and the two other models trained using images with a feature selection method applied to enhance inconsistencies that obtained 68.02% for Error-Level Analysis images and 50.70% for the method using Discrete Wavelet Transform. Moreover, our proposed approach exhibits reduced accuracy variance compared to alternative models, underscoring its stability and robustness across diverse datasets. The approach outlined in this work needs to provide information about the specific location or type of tempering, which limits its practical applications.

Molecular mechanisms that govern infection and antifungal resistance in Mucorales.

SUMMARYThe World Health Organization has established a fungal priority pathogens list that includes species critical or highly important to human health. Among them is the order Mucorales, a fungal group comprising at least 39 species responsible for the life-threatening infection known as mucormycosis. Despite the continuous rise in cases and the poor prognosis due to innate resistance to most antifungal drugs used in the clinic, Mucorales has received limited attention, partly because of the difficulties in performing genetic manipulations. The COVID-19 pandemic has further escalated cases, with some patients experiencing the COVID-19-associated mucormycosis, highlighting the urgent need to increase knowledge about these fungi. This review addresses significant challenges in treating the disease, including delayed and poor diagnosis, the lack of accurate global incidence estimation, and the limited treatment options. Furthermore, it focuses on the most recent discoveries regarding the mechanisms and genes involved in the development of the disease, antifungal resistance, and the host defense response. Substantial advancements have been made in identifying key fungal genes responsible for invasion and tissue damage, host receptors exploited by the fungus to invade tissues, and mechanisms of antifungal resistance. This knowledge is expected to pave the way for the development of new antifungals to combat mucormycosis. In addition, we anticipate significant progress in characterizing Mucorales biology, particularly the mechanisms involved in pathogenesis and antifungal resistance, with the possibilities offered by CRISPR-Cas9 technology for genetic manipulation of the previously intractable Mucorales species.

Weak measurement of the Goos–Hänchen shift for a Hermite–Gaussian laser beam

We report on an experimental investigation of the Goos–Hänchen (GH) optical beam shift in the vicinity of the critical angle of incidence at an air–glass interface using a weak value amplification (WVA) technique for two mutually orthogonal first order Hermite–Gaussian (HG) modes (HG10 and HG01) of a light beam at 633 nm generated by a phase-only reflective spatial light modulator. We have developed a mathematical approach to visualize the beam shaping due to the WVA scheme of beam shifts for the HG modes. The study reveals the angle of incidence dependency of the GH shift in the total internal reflection condition. For both modes, a detailed study of the horizontal and transverse beam shift values with varied post-selection angles is also reported. In addition, a comparison of the beam shift values for both of the selected modes with the fundamental mode (HG00) has been demonstrated. We found a significant enhancement (about two to three times) in the beam shifts for the first order HG10 and HG01 modes compared to the fundamental mode (HG00). Our results clearly demonstrate the advantages of the HG modes of the light beam-exploiting WVA technique and thus may contribute significantly to this field and open up important applications in photonic manipulation and future technologies.

Creation of Optical Manipulation Technology for Biological Phenomena

Creation of Optical Manipulation Technology for Biological Phenomena

Multi-dimensional cylindrical vector beam (de)multiplexing through cascaded wavelength- and polarization-sensitive metasurfaces.

Cylindrical vector beams (CVBs) exhibit great potential for multiplexing communication, owing to their mode orthogonality and compatibility with conventional wavelength multiplexing techniques. However, the practical application of CVB multiplexing communication faces challenges due to the lack of effective spatial polarization manipulation technologies for (de)multiplexing multi-dimensional physical dimensions of CVBs. Herein, we introduce a wavelength- and polarization-sensitive cascaded phase modulation strategy that utilizes multiple coaxial metasurfaces for multi-dimensional modulation of CVBs. By leveraging the spin-dependent phase modulation mechanism, these metasurfaces enable the independent transformation of the two orthogonal polarization components of CVB modes. Combined with the wavelength sensitivity of Fresnel diffraction in progressive phase modulation, this approach establishes a high-dimensional mapping relationship among CVB modes, wavelengths, spatial positions, and Gaussian fundamental modes, thereby facilitating multi-dimensional (de)multiplexing involving CVB modes and wavelengths. As a proof of concept, we theoretically demonstrate a 9-channel multi-dimensional multiplexing system, successfully achieving joint (de)multiplexing of 3 CVB modes (1, 2, and 3) and 3 wavelengths (1550 nm, 1560 nm, and 1570 nm) with a diffraction efficiency exceeding 80%. Additionally, we show the transmission of 16-QAM signals across 9 channels with the bit-error-rates below 10-5. By combining the integrability of metasurfaces with the high-dimensional wavefront manipulation capabilities of multilevel modulation, our strategy can effectively address the diverse demands of different wavelengths and CVB modes in optical communication.

Voice perception as a bridge between psychoacoustics and speech intelligibility

While clinical assessments of speech intelligibility focus on the reception of phonetic to lexical cues by a listener, in natural situations, speech also contains cues that inform the listener about the identity of the talker, or their emotional state. These indexical cues contribute to the access of phonetic information, either through talker normalisation, or by promoting the segregation of competing talkers. They can also directly affect the interpretation of the lexical content, e.g., through prosody. In other words, indexical cues play a crucial role in everyday communication. Yet, they are rarely considered in clinical evaluations of hearing impairment. Through various studies involving child and adult hearing aid and cochlear implant users, it appears that some voice cues are more affected by hearing loss than others, and this could have consequences on the development and remediation strategies. These studies also highlight the central role that voice perception study could play in connecting psychoacoustics to communication sciences. As voice literally carries the linguistic information in speech, it sits at the forefront of auditory processing. The mechanisms underpinning hearing loss thus tend to directly affect the neural representations of voice properties. As voice manipulation technologies are becoming more precise and more widely available, new opportunities arise to link peripheral auditory deficits to speech processing difficulties in populations with impaired hearing.

Социальное манипулирование молодежью в интернет-пространстве: сравнение России и США

The emergence of humanity into the digital age has led to transformations in societal consciousness and socio-cultural space, thus highlighting the relevance of studying issues of social interaction in virtual reality. Due to pervasive digitization, the phenomenon of social manipulation has also taken on a pervasive character, espe-cially concerning the younger generation, whose life orientations and values are still in the process of for-mation. The article provides a sociological analysis of the concept of youth in the internet space as an object of social manipulation. It identifies the characteristics of the internet space that contribute to the spread of covert control practices in virtual reality. The author develops a theoretical-conceptual model of social manipulation in the internet space, based on which its subjects, goals, channels, and methods are described. The distinctive features of the application of modern technologies for social manipulation of youth in Russia and the USA are revealed.

Surface recoil force on dielectric nanoparticle enhancement via graphene acoustic surface plasmon excitation: non-local effect consideration.

Controlling optomechanical interactions at sub-wavelength levels is of great importance in academic science and nanoparticle manipulation technologies. This Letter focuses on the improvement of the recoil force on nanoparticles placed close to a graphene-dielectric-metal structure. The momentum conservation involving the non-symmetric excitation of acoustic surface plasmons (ASPs), via near-field circularly polarized dipolar scattering, implies the occurrence of a huge momentum kick on the nanoparticle. Owing to the high wave vector values entailed in the near-field scattering process, it has been necessary to consider the non-locality of the graphene electrical conductivity to explore the influence of the scattering loss on this large wave vector region, which is neglected by the semiclassical model. Surprisingly, the contribution of ASPs to the recoil force is negligibly modified when the non-local effects are incorporated through the graphene conductivity. On the contrary, our results show that the contribution of the non-local scattering loss to this force becomes dominant when the particle is placed very close to the graphene sheet and that it is mostly independent of the dielectric thickness layer. Our work can be helpful for designing new and better performing large plasmon momentum optomechanical structures using scattering highly dependent on the polarization for moving dielectric nanoparticles.

Ризома как механизм манипуляции в немецкоязычном журналистском тексте

The research focuses on the pressing issue of contemporary political discourse – the technologies of manipulation in the media space, specifically the linguistic mechanisms for transmitting pragmatic attitudes and value orientations in journalistic texts. These processes directly correlate with the phenomenon of increasing entropy in the text and, as the study has shown, largely arise from the rhizome - the nonlinear nature of organizing integrity. The research aim is to identify the linguistic mechanisms underlying the rhizomatic structure of media text. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that for the first time, using a specific info-cause as an example, the rhizome is examined as a mechanism for implementing manipulative strategies in the modern German-speaking media space; the conditioned technologies of modeling pragmatic attitudes by the rhizome are revealed; the explicit and implicit mechanisms of implementing this process are described. The obtained results have shown that in journalistic texts, the rhizome manifests itself as multi-vectorial and the contradictory transmission of information, greatly enhancing the possibilities of interpretations inherent in the language structure, becoming a significant mechanism for implementing manipulative strategies.

Legal Goals and Means Manipulation: Foundations of the Theory

Introduction. Despite the fact that manipulative technologies for influencing social relations have now become extremely widespread, the study of legal goals and means manipulation as one of the main forms of manipulative influence on social processes remains outside the scope of research by representatives of both the general theory of state and law and branch legal sciences. According to the authors, this situation indicates that modern legal science in this regard clearly lags behind the needs of legal practice and is not able to offer a reasonable solution to very pressing problems associated with the large-scale and everyday manipulative use of legal instruments. Materials and methods. The authors of the presented article actively used both general scientific and specific scientific methods, among which we can highlight dialectical, systemic, formal legal, legal modeling, structural-functional, comparative legal, etc.The results of the study. As a result of the research, the authors of the article developed the basics of the concept of legal goals and means manipulation. In particular, the work outlined the author’s vision of the essence and specifics of legal goals manipulating, and studied the features of the manipulative use of both stimulating and restrictive legal means. Special attention was paid to the analysis of the technologies of legal goals and means manipulating, carried out on the basis of specific examples.Discussion and conclusion. The work substantiates the position according to which legal goals and means manipulation is understood as a form of lawful behavior carried out with the help of implicit tactics or strategy, which consists of setting or using legal goals, as well as of creating or using legal means in the interests of the subject of management (manipulator) contrary to the true needs and interests of the object controlled (manipulated). The point of view is defended according to which the challenges and threats that Russia is currently facing necessitate the creation of a state strategy to counter goals and means manipulation.

Multiclass AI-Generated Deepfake Face Detection Using Patch-Wise Deep Learning Model

In response to the rapid advancements in facial manipulation technologies, particularly facilitated by Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) and Stable Diffusion-based methods, this paper explores the critical issue of deepfake content creation. The increasing accessibility of these tools necessitates robust detection methods to curb potential misuse. In this context, this paper investigates the potential of Vision Transformers (ViTs) for effective deepfake image detection, leveraging their capacity to extract global features. Objective: The primary goal of this study is to assess the viability of ViTs in detecting multiclass deepfake images compared to traditional Convolutional Neural Network (CNN)-based models. By framing the deepfake problem as a multiclass task, this research introduces a novel approach, considering the challenges posed by Stable Diffusion and StyleGAN2. The objective is to enhance understanding and efficacy in detecting manipulated content within a multiclass context. Novelty: This research distinguishes itself by approaching the deepfake detection problem as a multiclass task, introducing new challenges associated with Stable Diffusion and StyleGAN2. The study pioneers the exploration of ViTs in this domain, emphasizing their potential to extract global features for enhanced detection accuracy. The novelty lies in addressing the evolving landscape of deepfake creation and manipulation. Results and Conclusion: Through extensive experiments, the proposed method exhibits high effectiveness, achieving impressive detection accuracy, precision, and recall, and an F1 rate of 99.90% on a multiclass-prepared dataset. The results underscore the significant potential of ViTs in contributing to a more secure digital landscape by robustly addressing the challenges posed by deepfake content, particularly in the presence of Stable Diffusion and StyleGAN2. The proposed model outperformed when compared with state-of-the-art CNN-based models, i.e., ResNet-50 and VGG-16.

Characteristics of Oil-in-Oil Emulsions under AC Electric Fields.

Emulsions have been applied in a number of industries such as pharmaceutics, cosmetics, and food, which are also of great scientific interest. Although aqueous emulsions are commonly used in our daily life, oil-in-oil (o/o) emulsions also play an irreplaceable role in view of their unique physics and complementary applications. In this paper, we investigate typical behaviors of organic droplets surrounded by organic medium (o/o emulsions) with different functional groups controlled by the AC electric field. Droplet behaviors can be catalogued into five types: namely, "no effect", "movement", "deformation", "interface rupture", and "disorder". We identify the key dimensionless number Wee·Ca, combined with the channel geometry, for characterizing the typical behaviors in silicon oil/1,6-hexanediol diacrylate and mineral oil/1,6-hexanediol diacrylate emulsions. Unlike aqueous emulsion, the Maxwell-Wagner relaxation inhibits the electric effect and leads to an effective frequency, ranging from 0.5 to 3 kHz. The increasing viscosity of the droplet facilitates the escalation by promoting the shearing effect under the same flow conditions. Ethylene glycol droplets primarily show the efficient coalescence even at a low Wee·Ca, which is attributed to the attraction of free charges induced by the increasing conductivity. In 1,6-hexanediol diacrylate/silicon oil emulsion, the droplet tends to form a liquid film that expands into the entire channel due to the affinity of the droplet to the channel wall. A variety of elongated columns are observed to oscillate between the electrodes at high voltages. These findings can contribute to understanding the electrohydrodynamic physics in o/o emulsion and controlling droplet behaviors in a fast response, programmable, and high-throughput way. We expect that this droplet manipulation technology can be widely adopted in a broad range of chemical synthesis and biological and material science.

Ring expansion of indene by photoredox-enabled functionalized carbon-atom insertion.

Skeletal editing has received unprecedented attention as an emerging technology for the late-stage manipulation of molecular scaffolds. The direct achievement of functionalized carbon-atom insertion in aromatic rings is challenging. Despite ring-expanding carbon-atom insertion reactions, such as the Ciamician-Dennstedt re-arrangement, being performed for more than 140 years, only a few relevant examples of such transformations have been reported, with these limited to the installation of halogen, ester and phenyl groups. Here we describe a photoredox-enabled functionalized carbon-atom insertion reaction into indene. We disclose the utilization of a radical carbyne precursor that facilitates the insertion of carbon atoms bearing a variety of functional groups, including trifluoromethyl, ester, phosphate ester, sulfonate ester, sulfone, nitrile, amide, aryl ketone and aliphatic ketone fragments to access a library of 2-substituted naphthalenes. The application of this methodology to the skeletal editing of molecules of pharmaceutical relevance highlights its utility.

Ідеологема «русского міра» та її реалізація в медіа Української православної церкви 2022–2024 рр.

The article examines specific communication technologies that can be classified as manipulative, using materials from the online publication “Orthodox Life” as a case study. This publication is one of the official organs of the UOC, and its topics, ideas, and concepts are disseminated through various information channels, influencing different audience groups. The authors of the article argue that several manipulative techniques are employed in this publication – myth-making technology, manipulation of certain ideals and values, spiritual and symbolic manipulation, emphasis on emotional aspects of readership, among others – to promote the ideology of the “Russian world.” The attributes of this ideological concept include the Russian language, media attempts to create a common historical and cultural space between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, Orthodoxy, loyalty to the Russian Federation, hostility towards Europe and the USA, and a negative attitude towards representatives of other religions. The article also highlights the use of the “spiral of silence” technique, popular in this and other UOC MP publications. Key events of 2022-2024, namely the war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, are silenced in the analyzed media, and materials conceal the aggression of the Russian Federation and the role of the Russian Orthodox Church, which has declared murders and terror a “holy war.” Instead of informing the audience, low-content publications create so-called information noise, aiming to distract the audience from real issues. Through manipulative technologies, the myth of the “Russian world” is constructed in “Orthodox Life” as the dominant ideology for the people of Ukraine. The study of manipulative technologies used in UOC media is crucial for effective information warfare and countering the ideology of the Russian Federation, which is propagated through the Russian Orthodox Church and its affiliates. Keywords: information war, manipulative technologies, “Russian world,” religious organizations.

Tune-out wavelengths of Rydberg atoms

The atomic polarizability represents the response characteristics of atoms to externally applied electro-magnetic fields. The wavelength (or frequency) at which the dynamic polarizability of an atom is equal to zero is referred to as the tune-out wavelength (or frequency). Spectroscopy technology based on the tune-out effect has potential applications in quantum precision measurement, quantum computation and quantum communication. Related research topics include the measurement of fundamental physical constants and strong interactions. The tune-out wavelengths of atoms in low-lying states primarily fall within the optical band, where the theoretical calculations and experimental measurements have significant progress. However, for Rydberg atoms in highly excited states, theoretical calculations are challenging due to their high density of atomic states. The difficulty of experimental measurement arises from small splitting of adjacent atomic energy levels. In this paper, we demonstrate the tune-out wavelengths measurement for Rydberg atoms in a cesium vapor cell at room temperature. We utilize a two-photon cascade excitation to prepare Rydberg states and employ amplitude-modulation electromagnetically-induced transparency (AM-EIT) spectroscopy to measure the tune-out wavelength. By continuously scanning the microwave frequencies, we obtain AM-EIT signals of Rydberg atoms. At near-resonant microwave transition wavelengths, strong AM-EIT signals are observed due to microwave-atom coupling. Conversely, at tune-out wavelengths, the dynamically polarization-induced destructive interference in neighboring energy states occurs which leads to the weak AM-EIT signals. The AM-EIT provides a spectral resolution of about 10 MHz. We have developed a simplified three-level model to calculate the tune-out wavelength. The results of our theoretical calculations are consistent with the experimental findings within a range of ±90 MHz.

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIVE PROCESSES: THEORIES AND PROBLEMS

This article considers the main theories of information and communication processes, which have become classics in the field of media research, as well as actual problems related to their implementation in modern institutions of society. The aim of the study is to research the effectiveness of information and communication processes that meet the ideas of humanism, counteracting manipulative technologies of impact on human consciousness. The significance of research lies in its scientific and practical implications, which are influenced by contemporary issues in the application of media technologies. Primarily, these issues revolve around the removal of spiritual and moral experiences from the societal perspective in an increasingly globalized world. The methodology of the study includes historical and dialogue approaches, directed on the analysis of communicative bases through the prism of humanity development. As a result of the analysis of the selected topic, the author concludes that it is communicative processes aimed at the construction and formation of equal dialogue between communicators are priority to overcome the acute problem of spiritual values in a global society. The effectiveness of information and communication processes is directly related to interactivity practices that focus on dialogue and can help a person overcome feelings of frustration. The value of the conducted research is determined by the author’s attempt to apply ethical communicative practices in the development and implementation of modern mass communication technologies, which is the greatest difficulty, because the present conditions of economic competition have intensified the manipulative nature of information flows. The practical importance of this scientific endeavor lies in the potential application of the communication theories investigated by the author. Specifically, these theories can be utilized to address challenges related to the efficiency of information processes in the realm of mass communication.

ПЕРСПЕКТИВИ РОЗПАДУ РОСІЙСЬКОЇ НЕОІМПЕРІЇ ТА ЇХ ГЕОПОЛІТИЧНІ НАСЛІДКИ

The article examines the prospects of the collapse of the Russian neo-empire and their geopolitical consequences. In particular, it is noted that one of the key imperial trends is the desire for expansion, so Russia, as the last neo-empire, constantly creates sources of tension in the post-Soviet space, seizing foreign territories. It is indicated that the reasons for the attack on Ukraine were geopolitical, economic, food, energy, and demographic. In particular, one of the main ones was the attempt to revive the Soviet Union, the collapse of which Putin called the biggest geopolitical catastrophe of the last century. Attention is focused on the key reasons that can lead to the decline or collapse of the Russian empire, among which the following should be highlighted: lack of a clear goal and development strategy; lack of unity and common values of peoples living on the territory of Russia; excessive centralization of power and fragility of the management system; gradual weakening of the legitimacy of the current government; strengthening of economic problems, growth of the economic gap between regions; diversity and diversity of identities; lack of rule of law, violation of human and citizen rights and freedoms, rights of ethnic groups, etc.; lack of desire for innovation and modernization; prospects for strengthening regionalization processes; moral and spiritual anomie, which covered all spheres of life in Russian society; the spread of resentment. In particular, it is indicated that in totalitarian and authoritarian states, which can be most clearly observed on the example of modern North Korea or the Russian Federation, a person becomes a pure product of social manipulative technologies and, first of all, massive state propaganda, which deliberately creates resentment in the population - a distorted and twisted picture of reality. The image of external enemies is also planted, in particular, for Russians, these are Ukrainians and residents of Western countries, who are to blame for all the troubles of the latter. It is emphasized that the distorted picture of the world cannot be long-lasting, as it denies the true reality, leads to the undermining of the economic and political well-being of Russia for the sake of creating fanciful ideals, belief in one's own indomitable strength and power, which does not correspond to reality. Rejection of reality, defactualization in Russia enters the stage of self-destruction of the state and society and can be stopped only by a mass enlightenment of Russian society as a result of the fall of Putin's regime, severe economic crisis or loss in the war. Therefore, the collapse of the Russian neo-empire is inevitable, it is only a matter of time.

Манипулятивные технологии смыслообразования: «забота о себе» и цифровые масс-медиа

Modern digital mass media actively perceive the concept of “care of the self” and work with its particular plan, the practices of constructing an “ideal” subject in its unified and standardized model. The article presents an analysis of the manipulative technology tools on the example of a serial, mass distribution apparatus for actual digital media. The interpretation of the dual mechanism is carried out by attracting the content of the works of the German philosopher T. Adorno and the Dutch linguist, theorist of discourse analysis T. Van Dijk. It is noted that the appeal to the universal personality in everyone, which can be considered as an object of practice, the legitimization of the content of the articles is affirmed by an act of dedication to the circle of the “chosen ones” through the use of the categories “we”, “all of us”; by the method of generalization, universalization to a group, construction of a community (“man as a species”). The language of the articles, through the trusting effect of familiar expressions, vaguely known authoritative statements, appeals to the integral personality inside of each reader. As a result, “care of the self” becomes in a transformed form a profitable object for broadcasting, as well as the property of everyone, a mass audience, through digital media. Modern practices of “care of the self” incorporate the desire for the state of “non-self” and offer the dissolution of the “I” in algorithms, mass average settings for ascent from the sphere of direct experience to the space of third-party observation of one’s own internal manifestations.

Economic Impact on the Work of UX/UI Designers on Digital Services

The purpose of the work. The article examines the influence of the business model of such digital products as paid, conditionally free, and free services for forming the architecture of UX/UI design of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter; Audible, SoundCloud and Spotify; Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Mighty Network. The research methodology consists in the application of such research methods as description, analysis and synthesis, generalisation, comparison, and content analysis. The description method made it possible to determine the essence of UX/UI design. The method of analysis and synthesis was applied to reflect the main economic factors affecting UX/UI design. The comparison method was used to compare the main methods of manipulation in UX/UI design. The generalisation method was used to summarise the results. The method of content analysis was applied to display the use of manipulations on different pages in the virtual space. The scientific novelty of the work is that the influence of economic factors on the work of UX/UI designers on digital services was investigated for the first time. The understanding of UX/UI design has been improved. The understanding of the fact that services have an emotional and psychological impact on the user in order to encourage them to take certain actions, such as purchasing a service, has been improved. Conclusions. The current methods of user manipulation in UX/UI design have been established and systematised. On a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 is the softest manipulative methods that can only delay or distract the user for only a short period of time, and 5 is the most severe manipulation methods that have an impact on the emotional and psychological state of the user. It has been determined that free services have more technologies for manipulation than conditionally free services. Paid services do not have pronounced features of manipulation, but they stimulate the user to make a certain purchase. Accordingly, services use such methods of manipulation as methods of interference, interface interference and annoyance, emotional and psychological influence. Keywords: UX/UI design, interface, digital services, digital products, social network, business model.