The Reflexivity of Modern Communication As a Factor of Socio-Cultural Changes

It is known that modern IT tools lead to a reduction of the regulatory functions of social institutions in society. It is important to understand the underlying causes and social consequences of this trend.

Nowadays communications are concentrated in network structures. These structures often provide people an opportunity to position themselves using convenient notations, such as fictitious names and icons, without fixing social status. Since the presentation of the social status is the most important condition to realize of institutional relations, then definitely this fact destroys the industrial tradition of creating relationships based on social norms. Networks and communities are defining a new trend of communication based on a different approach, where social status isn't taken into account and socio-cultural norms are not necessarily used.

         This different approach of communication is created at the moment of interaction between communicants considering the specific situation of communication and the individual conception of participants' life-world. That is, it takes the ability to co-create agreements in area without ready-made rules. This ability requires reflexive relation for the institutional norm that still exist in culture, but no longer relevant to online communities. Thus personal creativity and innovation are becoming essential.

         Today, the innovative potential, tolerance, willingness to take risks, mobility, the dominance of  horizontal business relations are more pronounced in online communities. As a result, the demand for these kind of personal characteristics at the system level leads to a change in social and cultural environment in the society.