Residents of Russia are currently experiencing social and psychological effects as part of a hybrid war aimed at destroying the traditional social and cultural space. Young people are considered a particularly vulnerable group. To address this, scientists have proposed the technique of ‘social immunization.’ The essence of this concept, according to them, is to develop ‘social immunity’ among young people, which is an internal system of value orientations and critical thinking that allows them to resist manipulation of consciousness.
Unlike isolated measures, the proposed approach is a two-phase technique. The second phase is direct ‘immunization’ and a set of specific actions. Researchers have suggested a practical algorithm for government bodies, which includes developing critical thinking among youth, involving and supporting them in initiatives, and creating positive online content focused on traditional values.
At the same time, it is important to engage public opinion leaders in the process of social immunization and identify virtual actors that have a destabilizing influence, says Viktor Sabrika, a professor at the Department of Political Sociology and Social Technologies at the Russian State University for the Humanities. As the scientists point out, such studies are hardly conducted in the post-Soviet countries. Unlike Western research centers focusing on studying hybrid influence, Russian specialists have concentrated on building the society’s ability to resist and counteract intrusive values.
The authors are currently conducting a survey to identify the main problems and trends in shaping information security in the Eurasian Economic Union regions. According to them, the study conducted for the border regions reaches a new level among countries.
