« Global problems» (from lat. globus terrae - Earth, the term itself appeared in the late 1960s) - a set of problems of mankind that confronted him in the second half of the 20th century and on the solution of which the further existence of civilization depends.

Common features:

    scale: affect all of humanity;

    suggest the international cooperation different countries (impossible to decide in one single country);

    sharpness: the further fate of civilization depends on their decision;

    appear as an objective factor in the development of society;

    urgently demand solutions.

Main (priority) global problems:

    The problem of war and peace, the prevention of a new world war.

    Demographic.

    Raw.

    Ecological.

    The "North-South" problem (overcoming the backwardness of developing countries and reducing the gap in the level of development between them and advanced post-industrial countries).

6. Food.

7. Energy.

8. Use of the oceans.

9. World space exploration.

And so on.

All global problems are interconnected. It is impossible to solve each of them separately: humanity must solve them together in order to save life on the planet.

The main directions of solving global problems:

    Formation of a new planetary consciousness. Raising a person on principles humanism. Widespread awareness of people about global problems.

    A comprehensive study of the causes and contradictions, the conditions leading to the emergence and exacerbation of problems.

    Supervision and control of global processes on the planet. Obtaining objective information from each country and international studies is essential for forecasting and decision making.

    clear international system forecasting.

    Development of new technologies (resource-saving, recyclable, natural springs energy).

    Conclusion international cooperation to a new quality level. Concentration of efforts of all countries to solve global problems. It is necessary to cooperate in creating the latest environmental technologies, a common world center for the study of global problems, a single fund of funds and resources, and the exchange of information.

QUESTIONS:

1. What meaning do social scientists invest in the concept of "global problems of mankind"? Drawing on the knowledge of the social science course, make two sentences containing information about global problems.

Definition: 1) Global problems are a set of problems of mankind that confronted him in the second half of the 20th century and the solution of which depends on the existence of civilization.

Two proposals: 2) The solution of the global problems of mankind is possible only with the participation of the entire world community. 3) One of the global problems is the problem of peace and disarmament, the prevention of a new world war.

2. Name any three global problems of our time and give a specific example for each.

    Ecological problem. Example: deforestation - the "lungs of the planet", for example rainforest in the Amazon River Valley.

    Demographic. Example: the rapid growth of the birth rate in the modern world from 1.5 billion people at the beginning of the 20th century to 6.5 billion at the beginning of the 21st century. In the fall of 2011, the seven billionth inhabitant of the planet was recorded. The population of the earth is increasing geometric progression and according to the most conservative estimates will reach 10 billion inhabitants by 2050.

    The threat of a third world war. Example: if in the early 1950s of the twentieth century only two countries in the world had nuclear weapons, then to beginning of XXI century there are already about a dozen of them. Moreover, some of them are in the state cold war with each other, such as India and Pakistan.

3. Illustrate with three examples the relationship between problems related to the widening gap between developed and Third World countries and the problem of preventing another world war.

As examples illustrating the relationship of problems related to the widening gap between developed countries and countries of the “third world” with the problem of preventing a new world war, the following can be given:

    A significant number of local armed conflicts occur in third world countries, some of which have nuclear weapons (for example, the Indo-Pakistani conflict.

    Due to the aggravation of the problem of providing raw materials and energy resources, the most developed countries of the world provoke, and sometimes themselves participate in wars for control over sources of raw materials (for example, the war in the Persian Gulf or the US-Iraq war).

    The poverty of certain regions of the planet contributes to the spread of the most radical, militant ideologies in them, the adherents of which are fighting against developed countries (for example, Islamic terrorist organizations) and etc.

4 . Read the text and do the tasks for it.

“Most of the remaining higher species of plants and animals are now under threat. Those that man has chosen to satisfy his needs have long been adapted to his requirements with the sole purpose of producing for him as much food and raw materials as possible. They are no longer subject to the Darwinian law of natural selection, which ensures the genetic evolution and adaptability of wild species. However, those species for which a person could not find direct use are also doomed. Their natural home and their resources have been taken away and ruthlessly destroyed in the purposeful progress of mankind. An equally sad fate awaits the untouched wildlife, which is still needed as habitat habitation of man himself for his physical and spiritual life. Indeed, by violating the ecological balance and irreparably reducing the life-supporting capacity of the planet, a person in this way can eventually deal with his own species no worse than an atomic bomb.

And this is not the only way in which the newly acquired power of man is reflected in his own position. Modern man began to live longer, which led to a population explosion. He learned to produce more than ever before, all kinds of things, and also in a much shorter time. Like Gargantua, he has developed an insatiable appetite for consumption and possession, producing more and more, engaging himself in a vicious circle of growth with no end in sight.

A phenomenon was born that began to be called the industrial, scientific, and more often the scientific and technological revolution. The latter began when a person realized that he could effectively and on an industrial scale put into practice his scientific knowledge about the world around. This process is now in full swing and everything is picking up and picking up speed.”

(According to A. Peccei)

1) Plan the text. To do this, highlight the main semantic fragments of the text and title each of them.

3) Suggest why the constant growth of production and consumption threatens the future of mankind. Make two guesses.

5) In 1900, the population of the Earth reached 1650 million people; in 1926 it amounted to 2 billion people; the third billion took 34 years; the next billion was added in 14 years; then - for 13; the increase in the population from 5 to 6 billion people took 12 years and ended in 1999. What idea of ​​the author does the above facts illustrate? What is the danger of the continued growth of the world's population?

1. Text plan:

    The influence of modern man on nature.

    The growth of human needs.

    Scientific and technological revolution.

    Those species (species of plants and animals) that man has chosen to satisfy his needs have long been adapted to his requirements with the sole purpose of producing for him as much food and raw materials as possible.

    Those species for which man could not find direct use are doomed, because the natural habitat and their resources have been taken away and ruthlessly destroyed in the purposeful progress of mankind forward.

    A sad fate awaits the untouched wilderness, which is still needed as a natural habitat for man himself for his physical and spiritual life.

3. Two guesses:

    The growth of production and consumption leads to the search for additional resources, which leads a person to the most remote and untouched corners of the wild. In turn, this violates the already precarious balance of man and wildlife.

    The constant growth of production and consumption will be accompanied by an increase in waste, which can lead to a global environmental catastrophe. For example, an increase in carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere threatens with a "greenhouse effect".

    The struggle for the redistribution of resources is the "third world war."

    Two major achievements of the NTR:

    Internet;

    mobile connection.

    Such facts illustrate the following idea of ​​the author: "Modern man began to live longer, which led to a population explosion."

    The danger is in the coming overpopulation of the planet, which will not have enough resources to feed so many people. This threatens humanity with new wars, social cataclysms and other troubles.

    Wild nature allows a person to enjoy the feeling of beauty, to feel harmony with nature, to experience a sense of peace, etc.

The information revolution taking place in modern conditions creates real technical and technological foundations for solving global problems. An economy based on a combination of market mechanisms and state regulation spontaneous economic processes, which allows for effective social protection of the population, overcoming the conflict between the efficiency of production and the social interests of people.

Arguments:

Gradually, the idea of ​​non-violence, the solution of emerging problems not by force, but by negotiations, the search for compromises, is gradually being affirmed in the minds of politicians and the idea of ​​non-violence is becoming a reality. The irreconcilable ideological confrontation, which turned into a psychological war, is becoming a thing of the past. The foundations for tolerance and mutual cooperation within the world community are gradually being strengthened, which creates the conditions for joint action to solve global problems.

QUOTE #1

“We have a situation of internal stability, confidence that the country will continue to develop in a stable way. This is probably the most important thing. The economy has changed dramatically - said Vladimir Putin on December 19, 2019.

What is the stability that the President is talking about?
Our pace economic growth, according to the most optimistic estimates that Rosstat presents us all the time, is about 1%. All economists know that these are conventions. The structure of production and the structure of exports are steadily deteriorating. Raw material exports are growing, and modern production is shrinking. At the same time, foreign direct investment in the Russian economy is falling. In 2015-2018, they more than halved. And most of them (60%) are directed to the mining sector.

Therefore, something else is unconditional: the lack of economic growth and a noticeable drop in living standards over the past five years. This is despite the fact that, according to calculations World Bank, Russians are four times poorer Here is how this indicator is calculated. The per capita wealth of the average Russian includes an assessment of:
- human capital(earnings throughout a person's life);
- natural resources(renewable and non-renewable); produced capital (mainly buildings and structures, equipment);
- foreign assets (foreign property and obligations of the country).
Human capital occupies the most a large share in wealth (in the Russian Federation - 46%, in OECD countries - 70%), natural capital - another 20%, produced capital accounts for 33%, foreign assets - the remaining 1%. During the period from 2000 to 2017, the total wealth of Russia in constant 2017 prices increased by 73% - from 753 trillion to 1306 trillion rubles. The per capita indicator for the same period increased, according to the World Bank, by 76%, to 8.9 million rubles. (152.5 thousand dollars). However, this amount is only a quarter of the wealth of a typical resident of developed OECD countries (includes 36 developed countries). The stagnation of real incomes and the fall in oil prices significantly slowed down the growth of this indicator. residents of 36 developed countries (OECD members). According to the World Bank, Russia will need a hundred years to catch up with developed countries in terms of human capital. That's the kind of stability.

In general, the proportion of the economically vulnerable population, that is, the proportion of people who live hard and poorly, is not at all the same as official statistics show us. official statistics tells us that this share is about 12-13%. But if you count by purchasing power, it turns out that 28% of the population of Russia in 2018 lived on about 700 rubles a day. Despite the fact that both the level and inflation of tariffs in housing and communal services and food prices are quite tangible.

The Minister of Economy said that the first half of 2020 is “already lost for Russia in economic sense". According to the minister, at the beginning of next year, the economy will face very weak consumer demand. And weak consumer demand means that poverty is expanding, people's incomes are falling.
The problem of consumer demand in our economy is not new. It has been in existence for at least twelve years. And we offered a cardinal solution to this problem. This is a famous program."Earth-Houses-Roads" . The free transfer of land to citizens for the construction of individual housing, together with the infrastructure built by the state, would create the very necessary demand that determines the pace of economic development of the entire country. All European countries came out of the post-war crisis in this way. And in Russia it ended only failed experiment in the Far East.

Now unfolding before our eyesanother story that economists will be talking about for decades. This is the construction of a gas pipeline to China, a few hundred kilometers from Tomsk, where only 8% of the inhabitants have access to natural gas. Everyone else uses wood and coal.
In general, 65% of Russian residents do not have access to gas supply. Even 15% of Gazprom's income would be enough to solve this problem in favor of Russian citizens. But instead, we are building a gas pipeline to China with our own money, which the Chinese need only in case of a war in the Sea of ​​Japan. It is no coincidence that the Power of Siberia project is surrounded by secrets, the main of which is the price of gas supplied to China. The media claim that the level of secrecy of the Chinese gas contract is comparable to the issues of strategic weapons: only a few people in Russia know the true figure and the formula for its calculation under the agreement. And again, the program proposed by Yabloko"Gas for every home" remains an impossible dream.

QUOTE #2

“As for the withdrawal of foreign troops, there are no foreign troops there. There is a local police local forces self defense, - Putin assured, answering a question about the situation in the Donbass. -And where did they get tanks, heavy artillery? Listen, in many "hot spots" of the world there are various kinds of conflicts and fighting, and with the use of tanks, artillery and so on. Where do they get it from? Apparently, from those structures, states that sympathize with them.

What can I say? Such views and "sympathies" of the president are seriously dangerous for our country.
Russia needs a completely different policy and other sympathies. Russia needs peace, not war. We need a state of public good, not private interests. We need the principle of human conservation, which would regulate the ratio of freedom and responsibility. AND government which should stop treating people as hindrances. Russia is vitally important internationally recognized borders, which now do not exist and without which our country cannot exist in the modern world. Russia cannot afford a policy of hybrid and other proxy wars in very dubious interests on completely foreign territories.
Russia needs peaceful developing neighbors: Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia - who would have every reason to be friends with Russia, and not be afraid of her. The success of our neighbors in the development of their state institutions and in the economy, these are our successes. We need a belt of stability and prosperity around our country, not the other way around.
We need - and this is the most important thing - trust in the country: trust within the country, trust of citizens to each other and between citizens and the authorities. This is exactly what you can't build without. modern society And modern economy. And this is precisely what, under no circumstances, can categorically ensure the existing political regime. Modern world economy based largely on trust and understanding. And where this is not the case, crises and recessions occur. Today's politic system does not allow creating an atmosphere of trust in the country, neither on the part of citizens to the police, nor on the part of citizens to the courts, nor on the part of citizens to the state, nor to each other, nor in business - in nothing. This is the dead end of the system.

We need a state of public interest, that is, a state that works for everyone. Just as we need a policy of peace and trust with our neighbors. But instead, we are immersed in a political culture of primitive authoritarianism. This political culture should be pushed aside and replaced by a completely different one. Russia vitally needs freedom. Because freedom is life without fear. Because all citizens of Russia have the right to freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want and poverty, and freedom from fear. When these four freedoms are realized, then it will be the Russia of the people, and not the country of officials, groups and thieves.

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Why in the modern world, where there is everything to meet the needs, and even more, people continue to feel miserable? This issue is now being considered state level, and some countries, such as the UAE and Bhutan, have designated happiness ministers. Europe and Russia are seriously considering repeating this experience. Technology is developing too fast, life is accelerating, and we simply do not have time to adapt to everything. But there is always a way out.

We are in website also decided to figure out what prevents us from being happy and how to deal with it.

1. Abundance of choice

Modern civilization has rewarded us with many benefits and freedom of choice. We tend to believe that great variety brings more satisfaction, but paradoxically, abundance limits our freedom of choice.

Sociologist Barry Schwartz, in his book The Paradox of Choice, writes that daily decision-making is becoming more and more difficult due to the presence of huge amount alternatives. Having to constantly choose can be debilitating, time-consuming and challenging to question any of our decisions before they are even made. Ultimately, all this can lead to irritation, stress, and even severe depression.

What to do?

  • Realize that for the most part choice is an illusion. When you're racking your brains in the store over which of 10 chocolates to choose, 8 of them are likely to be made in the same factory.
  • Follow your habits. Instead of trying dozens of toothpastes, settle on the one that's right for you in terms of price, quality, and features.
  • Don't question your decisions. Ask loved ones to support you to build your self-confidence.

2. Information overload

The Internet has given us access to almost any information, but the problem is that most of it is useless. Internet founder Tim Berners-Lee said in an open letter that World Wide Web lies spread faster than the truth, because resources earn on clicks, which means that they are interested in making the most provocative and shocking (and therefore fictional or embellished) materials that come across to the eyes of users as much as possible. In addition, information garbage overloads our brain, which leads to fatigue and neurological disorders.

What to do?

  • Do not subscribe to sites that are similar to each other. Information on them may be duplicated, as a result, you will spend time watching repetitions or similar materials.
  • Do not leave your contact details anywhere: this way you will protect yourself from unnecessary spam. If they still call you, then ask to be removed from the database, referring to the law on non-disclosure of personal data.

3. Gadgets

It makes no sense to explain how gadgets have simplified our lives. But they also added problems to us - from a banal deterioration in vision to a serious addiction. In addition, scientists from the University of Texas at Austin believe that daily smartphone use worsens mental capacity and depresses the psyche. Today we can no longer imagine our life without a phone and a computer. Instead of using them for their intended purpose, we hide in gadgets, in the world of the Internet and virtual reality. We replace the natural with the artificial and therefore feel miserable.

What to do?

  • Try to use gadgets less often. Writer Daniel Seeberg devoted an entire book to this idea called "Digital Diet", where he shared exercises and rules that help stop using gadgets by inertia. For example, he advises declaring the bedroom a phone-free place and using a regular alarm clock.
  • Turn off audio messages: this way you will be less likely to be distracted and reduce the temptation to pick up your phone.
  • Keep order in e-mail, messages, on pages in social networks.

4. Fast paced life

The speed of life is only increasing every year. In order to respond quickly, we must constantly be on our toes and be efficient. But, on the other hand, if you accelerate too much, you can fly into a ditch through a nervous breakdown, catch a disease, and earn professional burnout. Today, time is the most valuable currency. Therefore, we shorten words, meet only on business, and perceive multitasking as a work norm.

What to do?

  • Schedule 10-15 minutes a day to meditate or just contemplate. You can look at the fish in the aquarium or how the candle burns. This will help you slow down and clear your head.
  • Try to replace multitasking with step-by-step planning whenever possible. Scientists from Stanford University consider this option to organize the day the most effective.

5. Consumer society

The concept of consumption for Lately changed dramatically: we no longer fix things, but change. Sociologist Erich Fromm believed that many modern people do not live in the full sense of the word - they try to expand their world through the acquisition of things, and their life is reduced to a race for possession. Even when a person gets an education, he wants to have a diploma, not knowledge and experience. He has no understanding of how he himself exists in this world and what is the meaning of his life path.

Fashion changes every season, new, more perfect things are released daily, updates and additions to them - hourly. In the pursuit of things, a person loses himself and the ability to adequately analyze his needs.

Geopolitical rivalry, economic inequality, climate change and the rollback of democracy - these problems, despite their heterogeneity, will be the main ones for humanity next year, more than 1.5 thousand experts of the World Economic Forum came to this conclusion. Their analysis is presented in the annual Outlook on the Global Agenda 2015 report.

The WEF conducted the first such study in 2008. In 2015, the impact of the economic consequences of the global financial crisis, which for several years remained key for many countries, will somewhat decrease, notes the founder of the Davos Forum, Klaus Schwab. Now stability is threatened by political challenges - the growth of the terrorist threat and the aggravation of geopolitical conflicts, and this, in turn, prevents countries from jointly solving pressing problems.

Growing inequality


The problem of income inequality in 2015 will come out on top (a year ago, the WEF put it in second position). On this moment the less wealthy half of the population owns no more than 10% common wealth, and this problem extends to both developed and developing countries, the authors of the report note. According to a survey conducted by the WEF, it is most likely that during next year the situation will worsen in Asia, as well as in North and Latin America.

For effective fight With economic inequality, countries should approach the solution of this problem in a complex way - to increase the availability of education, healthcare and other resources. Most people assume that the main responsibility in this regard lies with the state, but corporations can also share it, since business itself benefits from income growth for the poor. So the number of consumers and the market for goods and services is growing.

Unceasing rise in unemployment

Economic growth without employment growth (jobless growth) - a phenomenon in which the level of employment does not change (and even decreases), in combination with GDP growth. The main reason for this problem, the authors call too rapid transformation of the labor market due to the development of technology.

The problem is familiar even to China: the country has experienced unprecedented growth in production and exports and has increased the competitiveness of its products, but the number of industrial workers has declined significantly over the past 20 years due to high rates of industrialization and automation. This is a long-term trend that will be observed worldwide, the WEF points out.

Lack of Leaders

According to the WEF survey, 86% of respondents believe that the modern world lacks leaders, 58% do not trust political leaders, and almost the same number (56%) are distrustful of religious leaders.

Corruption, the banal dishonesty of government and the inability to cope with modern problems are the main reasons for this distrust, according to Pew Research Center polls conducted in China, Brazil and India. On the other hand, society is increasingly inclined to trust non-governmental organizations and, oddly enough, business leaders who have succeeded due to their ability, education and the desire to innovate.

In today's world, leaders can grow from " ordinary people", believes Yousafzai Shiza Shahid, one of the co-founders of the Malala Foundation, referring to her friend Malala, who was awarded this year Nobel Prize world for educational and human rights activities. "We must promote the development of a society where honesty and empathy will be considered key features, where talents will have the opportunity to develop Shahid explains. - This will give strength to the most ordinary people."

Growing geopolitical competition

After the end of the Cold War and the collapse Soviet Union the world came to a liberal consensus for a while, but today geopolitics is once again coming to the fore, the WEF notes. The growth of geopolitical competition is not limited to the events in Ukraine; similar processes are unfolding in Asia and the Middle East.

As a result of the Ukrainian crisis, the West may be economically and politically moving away from Russia, which until recently was considered the guarantor of regional stability and peace, the authors of the report point out. And the situation in the Asian region - the growth of China's influence and its territorial claims - could potentially have more serious global consequences, writes the WEF. About a third of the Pew Research Center survey participants believe that in the foreseeable future, China will seize the palm of the world's leading power from the United States.

In addition to the threat of geopolitical conflicts, the weakening of established ties between states will prevent them from jointly solving global problems, such as climate change or infectious epidemics. The rise of nationalist sentiments and the destruction of the system of multilateral relations between countries should be one of the most important lessons of 2014, WEF experts believe.

Weakening of representative democracy

belief democratic institutions declining since 2008: economic crisis undermined confidence in both business and governments, which failed to prevent it. This provoked popular unrest, for example, in Greece and Spain, and political protests for last years firmly on the global agenda. The "Arab Spring" has affected almost all countries of North Africa and the Middle East, discontent political regimes exacerbated the situation in Ukraine and Hong Kong, in Brazil, protests over excessive public spending accompanied the preparations for this year's World Cup and Olympic Games which will take place in 2016.

Although the development information technologies allows to significantly improve democratic procedures, discord is observed throughout the world between citizens and their elected officials. Governments are still 19th century institutions with a 20th century mindset that can't keep up with needs civil society. To change the current situation, officials must use modern facilities communications to include wider sections of the population in the decision-making process, according to WEF experts.

Increasing natural disasters

extreme weather are a direct consequence of climate change, WEF experts say, and recently they have become more frequent and more intense and are of an increasingly destructive nature. Floods in the UK, Brazil and Indonesia, droughts in the US and Australia, heavy rains in Pakistan and snowstorms in Japan are all changing public perceptions of climate change.

Ironically, the poorest countries suffer the most destruction, and the world community, as a rule, tries to help them eliminate the consequences of disasters that have already occurred, instead of investing in preventing damage from future cataclysms. These are significant expenses, the effect of which will be noticeable only in long term. However, they will benefit both the economies of countries and businesses, and, undoubtedly, the poorest and most vulnerable nations, the authors of the report explain.

Escalation of nationalism

Since the Industrial Revolution, people have turned to political nationalism to protect traditional values ​​and identities. Catalonia in Spain, Belgium, Lombardy, Scotland in the UK - everywhere people are demanding protection from economic shocks, and social conflicts, and globalization, which threaten to disrupt established traditions, values ​​and ways of life.

Nevertheless, the Scots voted to remain part of the United Kingdom. Perhaps this rejection of separatism will demonstrate that in the new global world nations can combine strong and vibrant personality traits with a desire for closer cooperation with the rest of the world, WEF experts hope, because we are talking not only about the coexistence of nations within the framework of one state, but also about functioning as part of an integrated global economy.

Deterioration of access to drinking water

Difficulties with access to drinking water in various countries may be the result of both financial and resource factors, says one of the WEF experts, actor Matt Damon, who is one of the founders of the charity Water.org. In India, millions of people are separated from clean drinking water only a few dollars, the actor explains, while in Africa and Asia it simply does not exist. For more than 750 million people in the world, the lack of drinking water is a pressing problem today, complains Damon, and, according to experts from the OECD, by 2030 almost 1.5 billion people will experience "water stress".

Meanwhile, according to a World Bank report, about 50% of the current gap between economic growth rates in developing and developed countries It is made up of health problems and low life expectancy. States should spend more on maintaining the health of their citizens, and subsequently this will certainly affect the economic well-being of the country, WEF experts point out. As an example, they cite the ever-increasing spending on health care in China, including biomedical research, which is increasing by 20-25% annually. Pretty soon, China will spend more than the US (in absolute terms) on this direction. The Chinese believe that these investments contribute to the construction of the country's economy, and the WEF agrees with this.

Environmental pollution in developing countries

The industrialization of the developing world remains a source of uncontrolled pollution environment WEF experts say. If on a global scale this problem is in sixth place in terms of importance, then for Asia this challenge is one of the three most serious. China became and continues to be the top greenhouse gas emitter in 2005, followed by the United States and the European Union, according to World data Resource Institute. Brazil and India are next on the list of the biggest polluters.

While the primary responsibility for reducing emissions lies with the developing countries themselves, developed economies must also bear the responsibility for overcoming this problem. On the one hand, they must invest in the creation of new technologies with low level use of hydrocarbons, on the other hand, to provide developing countries financing that will ensure the transition to cleaner energy sources.

To collate the findings for Homo sapiens communities, Dunbar returned to anthropology. The researcher found out that the number of people in rural traditional settlements fluctuates within the limits he suggested - up to two hundred people. In his work, the scientist suggested that the number of neurocortical neurons - electrically excitable brain cells that process, store and transmit information using electrical and chemical signals- limits the body's ability to process information, which in turn limits the number of relationships a person can maintain at the same time. When the group size exceeds this number, it becomes difficult for an individual to maintain the number of contacts.

Modern communication looks like this

And indeed - if you ask the representatives of the older generation how they met and learned any news, they will answer that they met at the holidays with friends, went for walks together, said goodbye to each other, meaning the next meeting, and when the hostess I wanted to cook an unusual dish, then I asked my friends for the recipe. And the number of these acquaintances on average did not exceed 150 people. All of the above examples suggest that in the past people interacted with each other much more often. They had to personally communicate both with a familiar circle of people and get to know new people, which undoubtedly developed their social skills perfectly. It is possible that it was this experience of our parents and grandmothers that affected the mutual understanding of generations - today young people communicate more and more online, and this applies to both friendships and love relationships.

Today, the opportunity at any time to get all necessary information, just by googling it, significantly reduced the need for live communication between people. Why call people you know or meet a friend who has the information you need when you have the internet? Gradually, this led to the fact that people began to communicate less live and more and more online. So, it is more difficult for modern teenagers to get acquainted with strangers and generally socialize than the representatives of previous generations.

Dopamine networks and true friends

A huge role in the modern world is played by social networks and the profiles that we create in them. Some psychologists call pages in in social networks creating an improved version of yourself, as each person strives to produce good impression on others and often provides false information about himself. It turns out that communication itself has changed today, has become more superficial. There was also a certain disunity of interests - if in the past the whole country watched “The meeting place cannot be changed” and common topics for a conversation could be found with almost everyone, today the picture is completely different. The emergence of the Internet and such streaming services as, on the one hand, gave us an imaginary freedom of choice, and on the other hand, made it possible to meet a person with similar interests in real life more difficult.

Instagram has begun testing “unlikes” in some regions of the United States. According to new policy company, likes will be available only to the author of publications, and his subscribers will not

Moreover, based on the work of Dunbar, one can make a false conclusion that the number of social networks should not exceed 150 people. But in fact we add as friends a large number of people, half of whom have never met or will never see each other. The numbers in the friends tab today are a source of dopamine, but not real happiness.

According to a recent study, a person is able to maintain only five truly close contacts throughout his life. That is why the first five people are separately highlighted in your social media feed. But with the rest of the 145 conditional friends, communication is a bit strange - about once a year or half a year we congratulate each other with messages, for example, “happy birthday”, as if letting the other person know that we remember about his existence. But such “zombing” in social networks cannot be called full-fledged communication. It turns out that our ancestors communicated with each other much more, more often and more productively than us, and this communication was often key factor their life well-being.

Zombing is a like or holiday greeting from a person with whom you do not communicate both online and in real life.

I note that the Internet and the information age not only enriched the Russian language with the latest borrowings, but also changed etiquette. So, in the modern world, the ability to put down the smartphone in time and not take too many photos in the presence of others is very much appreciated.

Black Mirror is no longer a TV series

Fans of social science fiction have probably watched at least one episode of Charlie Brooker's series Black Mirror. The first episode of the third season talked about how likes on social networks affect social status and determine the position in. And if the relationship between people in the world shown in this episode looks like an exaggeration, then the reality has actually gone not so far - a taxi driver today can really lose his job if a client gives him only one star out of five a couple of times. And the way almost all interactions between people in modern China take place seems to make you think: “Isn’t this the world of a“ black mirror ””?

Shot from the series “Black Mirror” (season 3, episode 1)

Of course, the advent of the Internet modern technologies changed not only friendships and relationships. Today, the Internet influences almost every aspect of our lifestyle - from basic needs to the most luxurious things. And as we step into the future, it is logical to assume that dependence on the Internet and its role in our lives will only increase. The modern world blurs the boundaries, resembling a global city that exists thanks to the Internet. After all, despite the fact that communication today is more and more superficial, we can now communicate with anyone, anytime, anywhere. has become a kind of guide to all information and queries about beauty, health, fashion, lifestyle, personal hygiene and more. Moreover, we can not only work from home, but also get an education while sitting in our comfortable chair. The Internet has become a huge platform for the free exchange of knowledge. Yes, we rarely see each other's faces, but we have Wikipedia.

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At the end of this article, I can not help but note that along with the endless possibilities that have appeared thanks to the Internet, there are no less reasons for concern. Our society is rapidly transforming, and the “ok boomer” meme, which has recently swept the world’s social networks, is a clear example of this. The baby boomer generation - people who were born between 1943 and 1963 - don't really understand millennials, and even less Generation Z. The fact is that the social environment in which boomers grew up was completely different from the environment that surrounds modern children and teenagers - and they, among other things, are surrounded by the screens of smartphones, tablets, TVs and limitless flows of information.

The cast of the series “Friends” is almost at full strength. The inscription at the top - "boomers"

The changes relate to worldviews and even jokes. What was considered funny 20 years ago and what was joked about in the TV series “Friends” today causes indignation among young people. The values ​​that the boomer generation broadcast are becoming obsolete at an incredible rate, which only fuels misunderstanding between people. But no less dangerous, I see the inability, and sometimes the unwillingness of network users. It's no secret that pseudoscientific and dangerous ideas, for example, about the dangers of vaccination, are spreading with incredible speed and success in.

No matter how our society changes with the development of technology and the advent of the Internet, we still remain people with our own thinking errors, the need for communication and closeness with others. Perhaps the best thing each of us can do today is to stop for a moment and think about where and where we are going.