Home – Home – Jornals – "Philosophy of Education" 2022 number 4

Introduction. The image of modern society is largely determined by information technology. The global Internet network has an ambiguous impact on society. On the one hand, it contributes to the spread of mass culture, which creates risks of intellectual degradation and spiritual impoverishment of users, and on the other hand, by erasing physical and geographical boundaries, it provides ample opportunities for communication, knowledge, education and self-development. In such conditions, the problem of identifying the role and nature of education in the information society, as well as studying its transformations in connection with its differentiation into offline and online, is actualized. Methodology. Within the framework of postmodern concepts of social reality, the sociocultural conditions for the existence and development of modern education are revealed. The socio-phenomenological approach serves to interpret the relationship and mutual influence of society and the individual at the level of social and individual consciousness. The sociocultural approach makes it possible to single out informal education as a special social phenomenon. Discussion. The contradictory nature of the impact of digitalization on modern society is revealed. It is indicated that the blurring of both public consciousness and the simplification of its content leads to similar changes in the consciousness of the individual. The role of education as the most important institution for the transmission of socio-cultural experience and socialization is highlighted. The transformations of education under the influence of digitalization are highlighted: individualization, the development of online learning, the division of education into formal, non-formal and informal. The essence of informal education is revealed. The importance of both strengthening formal education and the formation and development of the cultural and educational environment where informal education is carried out is discussed. Conclusion. The conclusion is made about the change in the nature of the social distribution of knowledge under the influence of the Internet in the direction of increasing their availability with a simultaneous decrease in their quality. It is indicated that in the context of digitalization, education is undergoing dramatic changes: a significant part of the educational process is being transferred to the online spaces of the Internet, and the understanding of education is expanding to the level of distinguishing formal, informal and informal types within it.