NEW MEDIA AS COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES OF THE 21ST CENTURY

Abstract

This article is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of new media as the leading communicative technologies of the 21st century within the context of the fundamental restructuring of the global information space, political processes, and networked social interactions. The study elucidates the essence of new media, their key typological features, and their decisive role in shaping modern communication models between state institutions, civil society, and individuals. Primary attention is focused on such fundamental characteristics of new media as hypertextuality, interactivity, multimediality, decentralization, and the instantaneous dissemination of information, which fundamentally distinguishes them from traditional mass communication media. The evolution of communicative technologies is analyzed under the influence of internetization, digital convergence, and the development of social platforms, which do not merely broadcast content but also create the conditions for direct audience participation in its creation. The impact of new media on public consciousness, tools for civic mobilization, political communication, and the construction of modern public discourse is highlighted. The role of algorithmic systems and artificial intelligence in personalizing the user’s information experience is examined separately, as it presents new challenges for media literacy. Attention is drawn to the growing importance of new media as a key mechanism for strategic communications, political marketing, and the digital branding of political actors in the virtual space. Special emphasis is placed on the problematic aspects of digital media functioning, particularly the spread of disinformation, the implementation of covert information operations, manipulative practices in the “post-truth” era, and the systemic crisis of trust in traditional media sources. It is concluded that new media is not only a technological phenomenon but also a powerful socio-political institution that defines the communication architecture of the 21st century and requires further in-depth interdisciplinary reflection.