The Impact of Digital Communication Platforms on the Kyrgyz Youth's Attitudes to Traditional Values

Abstract

The role of digital communication channels in shaping the worldview of the youth in Kyrgyzstan is significantly increasing, which calls into question the sustainability of traditional socio-cultural attitudes. However, the specificity and mechanisms of transformation of the national traditional values of Kyrgyz youth remain insufficiently studied. The aim of the study is to identify the main mechanisms through which the attitude of young people towards traditional values is changing under the influence of digital communication channels. The research was conducted through a survey of students at the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University and a qualitative content analysis of media content. The findings show that digital channels form an alternative discursive space in which the value priorities of young people shift in favor of individualistic views and globalized forms of self-realization. Markers of the semantic redefinition of traditional elements have been revealed, illustrating the evolution of national identity and a move away from ethnic value categories towards universal forms of existence (e.g., in matters of family roles and personal self-realization). The key mechanisms of this transformation are: the effect of referent socialization (the transfer of authority from traditional institutions to digital opinion leaders) and the autonomization of identity, leading to the dominance of individualistic goals over collective ones. The results contribute to the sociology of communication, reflecting the evolution of ethnic and social images in the consciousness of the youth of Kyrgyzstan under the influence of digital media.