Social Problems And Achievements Of The Digital Economy Development

The impact of digital economy on social life and human consciousness

Despite the fact that the digital economy plays a leading role in the modern world, we shouldn’t forget about its negative impact on social life and nature (Guryanova, Smotrova, Makhovikov, & Koychubaev, 2020). On the one hand digitalization of the economy has caused the emergence of new professions; but on the other – a number of professional employments have become unnecessary in the progressive digital world. Millions of people have lost their work. We are talking about all those who can’t adapt themselves to using of new technologies and to meet to the demands of the digital economy. The last one has increased social inequality because of the digital divide between the high-skilled specialists getting great salaries and those who aren’t in demand and continue to perform their traditional professional duties.

The fact is that digital economy has destroyed many professions, but it has also created a number of the new ones, expanding the labor market (Shestakov, Noskov, Tikhonov, & Astafeva, 2017). Every day we visit various websites, groups and blogs. We use social networks and applications created by IT specialists and web designers. Such popular platforms as YouTube and Instagram give us a chance to create our own channels and blogs, and then to construct our personal brands and business models on their basis. The Internet provides an unlimited number of opportunities including freelancing that is very popular today. As we have already mentioned, many professions have lost their relevance in the modern world, the other ones have become inaccessible to humans with a low social status. In contrast, freelancing allows everyone to do what he likes, for example, to develop personal brands through various social networks. You can work your own hours and get paid as much as you want.

It’s also necessary to mention the impact of the digital economy on the psychological state of modern humans: today many people feel lonely and even irritable without the Internet access. They suffer from information overloads and psychological tiredness after the long hours they spend working or playing behind the screen of computers and different gadgets. However, the digital economy has entered deeply into life and consciousness of modern humans (Zubarev, 2017). The intensive using of social networks develops all kinds of gadget-mania and pathological gambling. And when we awake, first of all we pick up and turn on our smartphones.

The problems and advantages of robotics

Special attention should be paid to robotics which is constantly displacing human potential from many spheres of social life. Not very long ago such ordinary things as an alarm clock, a wall calendar, a radio, a mirror and a notebook were habitual for us. Today they all have changed their usual location and moved inside our smartphones. The mirror is replaced by the camera, the paper notebook – by the «Notes» section, etc. The modern world is full of robots! In every house you can see a robot vacuum-cleaner that works according to its program and doesn’t need human control. It’s inconvenient to wash windows on the top floors of high-rise buildings, so the robot window-cleaner can help us to do this difficult work fast and safe. There are special cash desks in the new supermarkets where customers can pay themselves for their purchases, without any help from the cashier. Perhaps, this can lead to the disappearance of this profession in the nearest future. As a result, many people will lose their job. But in general, technical devices with remote controls or self-driving make the life of modern humans easier, as well as the new generations of cars and drones. In the modern world robotics is a basis of an efficient production: robots are able to perform maximum tasks in minimum time. This helps manufacturers to save money on human labor.

On the one hand, new technologies make our lives more comfortable. They allow us to relax from the routine work, such as home or office cleaning or repeating the same physical actions many times. But, on the other hand, the further development of robotics will lead to disappearance of a great number of modern jobs in demand and to increase of mass unemployment. The predictable result of these processes is an economic crisis or even stagnation of the economy (Betelin, 2018).

The specificity of digital education

Some words must be said about specificity of the digital education. Its basic principles are informatization and digitalization which are based on the using of the latest ICT technologies for educational purposes (Pecherskaya, Averina, Kochetckova, Chupina, & Akimova, 2016). Modern educational practice is widely included by various online courses, webinars, video tutorials, distance education opportunities. Digital education has the following advantages over is traditional education form:

• possibility of gaining knowledge at a convenient time;

• opportunity of studying in a quiet, comfortable atmosphere;

• ability to study without leaving home;

• relatively low cost;

• communicating with native speakers in the process of learning foreign languages;

• combining the training with professional work and other activities.

Digital education gives us a chance to develop our creative potential (Pecherskaya, Averina, Kamaletdinov, Tretyakova, & Magomadova, 2016). Every human has an opportunity to make his own blog, project, website, application, etc. Modern teachers prefer performing presentations as a universal educational method that stimulates the creative development of the student, helps to identify his latent skills and talents (Pecherskaya, Averina, & Kozhevnikova, 2018). Digital education isn’t only convenient and creative by its form; it makes possible to communicate online with the leading teachers, masters of their craft, native speakers, etc. The new education system gives people an opportunity to get out of the routine, to engage in training in interesting and exciting forms, to visualize an object of studying (in contrast to the simple memorizing of traditional textbooks).

The impact of digital economy on nature

The impact of digital economy on nature should also be considered: creation of new technologies in the field of genetic engineering gives us useful knowledge, but using animals as test-subjects often causes their death. Creation of different varieties of plants has a negative impact not only on the plants themselves, but also on the other living organisms. The rapid development of digital technologies leads to disappearance of natural environment and a large-scale distribution of artificially bred plants and animal hybrids. Modern supermarkets offer us strange vegetables and fruits of unnatural sizes and colours that cost more expensive and look like more beautiful than the usual ones. Their selling is a successful marketing ploy that brings big profits. In the streets we can often see tiny dogs and cats. They are also the result of the modern genetic technologies’ application. They are in great demand, so they are sold profitably and move the modern market forward.

Strictly speaking, genetic manipulations with plants and animals aren’t an invention of the digital society. It has been practiced by humanity throughout its history. However, development of genetic engineering has brought a new impulse to this type of research activity. Today it’s possible to develop special organisms by building new DNA sequences. Perhaps, we are facing a great scientific revolution that will turn life into information in such a way that it can be written and rewritten just like a computer code. Scientists are already developing seaweeds that can release biofuels and use DNA to encode gigabytes of data. Over the next 30 years, synthetic biology will be able to create artificial organisms that can detect toxins, to make biofuels and medicaments from industrial waste. At the same time, synthetic biology poses serious risks including creation of artificial biological weapons (Russian Federation government, 2017).

The role of digital economy in solving global problems

It should be specially noted that digitalization of the economy can help to solve global problems such as the problem of water and food resources deficit. With a help of the modern technologies people have learned to create clean drinking water from its sea, melt and rain forms and in large scales. This allows to provide many arid areas with drinking water. Automated production of genetically modified crops can increase yields and allow making more food while using less land. Marketing managers offer a variety of ideas that can be sold profitably: black roses, red melons, yellow watermelons, mint-flavoured chips and many other strange things. In order to earn much money manufacturers appeal to engineers who develop new species and combinations of flavours, create new food dyes, preservatives and additives. On the one hand, consumer demand is growing as well as the manufacturer’s profit. But the nature suffers much and the human health is spoiling too.

Another important achievement of the digital economy development is creation of the new materials using all over the world and moving the world market forward. For example, the creation of optical fibre has improved the quality of information signals tenfold. A wide spread of 3D printing in the modern world allows users to make an identical model of any object in a short time. This innovation is an excellent assistant in such professional areas as design, building, architecture, engineering and many others (Guryanova, Khafiyatullina, Petinova, Frolov, & Makhovikov, 2020). Manufacturers have learned to get plastic from sugarcane. In the nearest future this technology will be used by Lego-company because of its safety for the environment. Modern scientists are developing a new material that is planning to be used for sewing clothes and as a data storage device at the same time. Their aim is to give up the breakable and volumetric electronic devices and to provide more comfortable way of self-identification and using digital services. Other scientists believe that with a help of proper processing cellulose can become stronger than steel. But its weight will be much less (about 80%). If this scenery really comes true, everything around us will become wooden and first of all – the main components of transport (cars, buses, etc.). The most important thing the leaders of the digital economy must always remember is the environmental safety of their production; It’s really important for the modern world full of artificial things and even organisms.