The phenomenon of social information in education: modern research practices (a critical review)

Introduction. The article presents a study of the issue of personality formation in information society. The purpose of the study is to identify the content characteristics of the phenomenon of social information in education from Russian and international perspectives of modern research practices. Materials and Methods. In this research the authors employed a philosophical methodology, namely, general scientific methods of theoretical knowledge, methods of system analysis, comparison and generalization of international and Russian studies on the problem of personality formation in modern conditions of information society. Results. The authors identify the main approaches to understanding and defining contemporary social information. The study reveals the characteristic features of the phenomenon of social information in the situation of information saturation, which has a significant impact on the cognitive capabilities of the individual. The article clarifies the ideas about the specifics of modern scientific communication, development of open educational practice, open universities, internalization of education on the basis of integrated production systems, multimedia technologies of information processing, integrated information and telecommunication systems. It is noted that the construction of such integrated systems and technologies is largely generalized by the principle of open systems. The authors identify the specifics of virtualization in modern educational practice as mediated by computer technologies of educational communication. The authors reveal the influence of this process on value orientations of the personality, specifically, on the values of education. The study emphasizes high importance of fundamentality in education and formation of the need for holistic evolutionary thinking of individuals. Conclusions. In conclusion, the article summarizes the content characteristics of the phenomenon of social information in education for the formation of personality in modern conditions of information society.