The life orientations of modern students

This article raises the problem of the formation of life guidelines and values of modern Russian students in the context of the formation of an electronic-digital civilization. The author states that non-traditional media based on Internet technologies are extremely popular among young people, especially students. At the same time, it is obvious that trust in traditional media is gradually but steadily giving way to trust in non-traditional media (the blogosphere, social networks, virtual communities and other Web resources). At the same time, these media are actively used by various destructive entities to influence modern students in order to distort information, transform life meanings and values. The author cites the results of studies by various authors related to the dynamics of life orientations of modern youth, which he compares with the results of his own study “Social Communication in Modern Society” conducted among students of the Sociology Faculty of Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov. Such a comparison allows us to conclude that although some trends unfavorable for society are traced among a certain part of student youth, they are not expressed as clearly and unambiguously as various authors state.

According to the author, it is hardly possible to deduce stable trends, much less patterns, only from students’ answers to one or two, not always correctly formulated questions. In fact, their understanding of the essence of things behind each specific question is much deeper.

There is no consistent tendency to destructive thinking, destructive life orientations in the middle of student youth. At the same time, the thinking of students is sufficiently chaotic, which in many respects can be explained by the virtualization and mediatization of their knowledge, which is explained by the enormous occupation in different social groups and the expansion of new media. Not less, this chaos can serve as a drinking medium for various kinds of destructive activity. It has been proved in the article that in the majority of its forms the student community is oriented on traditional for our side traditions and institutions, in the first place, on bold seminal relations and voluntary work. A high level of morality and legal knowledge is also characteristic of nearly three quarters of Russian students. A sufficiently positive majority of students have a positive attitude to patriotism. This, without a doubt, requires systematic, thorough, active and systematic educational work with students. In the first place, it is necessary to develop a normative base, which regulates the use of children from the standpoint of various, above all, destructive subjects.

1. VCIOM. Novosti [VTsIOM. News]. URL: https://wciom.ru/analytical-reviews/analiticheskii-obzor/cennosti-molodezhi (data obrashcheniya: 23.02.2025) (in Russian).

2. Arslanbekova E.M., Popova N.V. Zdorovyj obraz zhizni kak cennost’ sovremennoj [Healthy lifestyle as a value of the modern] // Innovacionnyj potencial molodezhi: grazhdanstvennost’, professionalizm, tvorchestvo: sbornik nauchnyh trudov Mezhdunarodnoj molodezhnoj nauchno-issledovatel’skoj konferencii (Ekaterinburg, 24 noyabrya 2020 g.). Ekaterinburg, 2020. S. 66–71. URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10995/97444 (data obrashcheniya: 10.09.2025) (in Russian).

3. Blinov N.M. Kontr-propaganda i molodyozh’ [Counter-propaganda and youth]. L., 1980 (in Russian).

4. Chelishchev V.I. Liberalizm — neoliberalizm — rynochnyj fundamentalizm. Ot koncepcii svobody k totalitarnoj dogme [Liberalism — neoliberalism — market fundamentalism. From the concept of freedom to totalitarian dogma] // Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 18. Sociologiya i politologiya. 2015. N 4 (in Russian).

5. Hejvud E. Politologiya: Uchebnik dlya studentov vuzov [Political Science: A textbook for students of higher education institutions] / Per. s angl., pod red. G.G. Vodolazova, V.Yu. Bel’skogo. M., 2005 (in Russian).

6. Merton R. Social’naya teoriya i social’naya struktura [Social theory and social structure]. M., 2006 (in Russian).

7. Meshchaninova E.Yu. Mesto deneg v sisteme cennostej studentov [The place of money in the system of students’ values] // Teoriya i praktika obshchestvennogo razvitiya. 2023. N 11 (in Russian).

8. O strategii nacional’noj bezopasnosti Rossijskoj Federacii: Ukaz Prezidenta Rossijskoj Federacii ot 02.07.2021 g. N 400. St. 52 [On the national security strategy of the Russian Federation: Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of 07/02/2021 No. 400. Art. 52] // Portal “Prezident Rossii”. URL: http://www.kremlin.ru/acts/bank/47046 (data obrashcheniya: 08.08.2023) (in Russian).

9. Osipova N.G. Rynochnyj fundamentalizm kak istochnik global’nogo social’nogo neravenstva [Market fundamentalism as a source of global social inequality] // Predstavitel’naya vlast’. Politika. Ekonomika. Pravo. 2018. N 5–6. S. 1–12 (in Russian).

10. Osipova N.G. Cifrovaya mediatizaciya obshchestva: destruktivnye effekty [Digital mediatization of society: destructive effects] // Sociologiya massovoj kommunikacii. M., 2025 (in Russian).

11. Osipova N.G., Elishev S.O., Pronchev G.B., Monahov D.N. Osobennosti processa formirovaniya cennostnyh orientacij sovremennoj rossijskoj molodyozhi i osushchestvleniya molodyozhnoj politiki v Rossijskoj Federacii (rezul’taty sociologicheskogo issledovaniya) [Features of the process of formation of value orientations of modern Russian youth and the implementation of youth policy in the Russian Federation (results of a sociological study)]. M., 2016 (in Russian).

12. Osipova N.G., Sinyakov A.V., Elishev S.O., Kanevskij P.S., Trofimov S.V. Analiticheskij otchet po itogam sociologicheskogo issledovaniya po teme “Social’nyj portret sovremennogo rossijskogo studenta” [Analytical report on the results of a sociological study on the topic “Social portrait of a modern Russian student”]. M., 2018 (in Russian).

13. Petrov A.V. Cennostnye predpochteniya molodyozhi: diagnostika i tendencii izmenenij [Value preferences of young people: diagnostics and trends of change] // Sociologicheskie issledovaniya. 2008. N 2 (in Russian).

14. Sorvin K.V., Susokolov A.A. Chelovek v obshchestve. Sistema sociologicheskih ponyatij v kratkom izlozhenii [Man in society. Th e system of sociological concepts in brief] . M., 2005 (in Russian).

15. Za anarhiyu [For anarchy] // Al’manah. Sbornik po istorii anarhistskogo dvizheniya v Rossii. T. 1. URL: http://karaultheca.ru/rus-an/almanach.htm#30 (data obrashcheniya: 09.01.2023) (in Russian).

16. Zakirov I.M. Zhiznennye cennosti i prioritety sovremennoj molodyozhi [Life values and priorities of modern youth] // Ekonomika i socium. 2016. N 11 (30). S. 546–547 (in Russian).