Model Approach to the Digital Transformation of Media
Authors:   Ural Federal University, Oleshko V. F. , Oleshko E. V. ,   Ural Federal University
Published: November 2020

During the crisis periods of modern times, it was seen that the changes in the vectors of practical activity are not only related to the economic sphere of Russia and many other countries but the trends that form the communications market in general and the mass media, in particular, are transformed to the greatest extent. This was especially evident in the first half of 2020 when the world was overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic, and digital technologies defined the essence and prospects of not only professional or interpersonal relations but also the sphere of politics, economics and culture. Therefore, it is logical that in the fifth and final part of the monograph “Mass Media as a Mediator of Communicative-Cultural Memory”, the authors described and systematized the ways of transformation of communicative-cultural memory, characteristic for “analogue” and “digital” generations of the mass audience, as well as highlight­ed the actual problems of forming the priorities of personal awareness of their socio-cultural identity. It is shown that the model of effective transmission of communicative-cul­tural memory to the “digital” generation, developed based on theoretical analysis and empirical data obtained during a decade, differs from other social models primarily by such essential elements as creative and technological and dialogic components of everyday work of subjects of information activity. It is they who determine the effectiveness of generational mutual influence through the media, acting as a mediator. At the same time, the hypothesis that mass media consumers are considered to be of different generation groups is confirmed. It is proved that the rapid and irreversible process of the global Network expansion has transformed many executive intents of the power structures of society in the majority of vital spheres not only socio-political, economic, professional, edu­cational, etc. of individuals’ activity, but, first of all, in the socio-cultural sphere formed by the resources of the communicative memory of the nation. On the example of the mass media of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug and the Russian-speaking press of the United States, it is also proved that one of the fea­tures of the modern development of multicultural countries and regions, as well as individual societies included in them, is the use of a strategy of ethnocultural neo-traditionalism, which is most often reflected in the actualization of historical memory and potential of the past, in focusing on artefacts characterizing certain aspects of communicative-cultural memory, in ethnocultural consolidation, in reproduction, “invention” and “promotion” of traditions, etc. The study concludes that the effective functioning of the media as a mediator of communicative-cultural memory, especially in the context of its transmission to the “digital” generation, involves the use of modelling principles not only to plan but also to predict the effectiveness of this activity. Since the social and managerial approach to the problem of generational mutual influence under conditions of permanent technological transformations is the least studied in media theory, the authors have fixed the basic elements of the model of devel­opment of regional journalism of the digital age in the context of professional culture. These include self-organization of the media community, mobilization and activation of public authorities’ resources, public control through the media and citizen journalists over the effectiveness of criticism of the region’s power structures, changes in the system of journalism training and media education, and some others.