The relevance of the research derives from the necessity to analyze the influence of new non-human digital actants on the nature of doctor-patients communication. The authors prove that in modern society the digitalization of the healthcare system is proceeding at an accelerated pace and pushes individuals to monitor their health status regularly in background mode by using such digital actants as smartwatches with pre-installed medical applications. The active use of high-tech devices for self-diagnosis of health transforms the doctor-patient communication, making it hybrid and exerting ambivalent influence on the treatment process. On the one hand, individuals can collect health information continuously. However, on the other hand, the study reveals that smartwatches provide users with less accurate health information in comparison with the health information obtained via stationary medical equipment. The use of inaccurate information without the supervision of medical workers may lead to unforeseen consequences and health risks. The results of the content analysis of modern scientific research on the effectiveness of smart devices’ use in online health diagnostics indicate that formal and pragmatic trends take place in doctor-patient communication. In this regard, the authors prove that hybrid social communication in medicine needs a new vector of development in accordance with the principles of the proposed “humanistic turn”.

The paper presents the results of a quantitative survey conducted by the method of questionnaires, which was devoted to the attitude to the situation associated with the spread of coronavirus infection, including the study of the transformation of the sociotechnical imaginary in relation to the vaccination procedure. The article analyzes the values and attitudes of respondents in relation to medical technologies, hopes for the prospects and ways of getting out of the epidemic and the role of new vaccines in this. The study revealed that the majority of respondents did not associate the solution to the coronavirus problem with vaccination or the invention of a drug, hoping for the development of herd immunity or that the pandemic will end per se. A significant number of respondents have a negative attitude towards vaccination, fearing the unsafe vaccine. The survey showed that gender differences in attitudes towards vaccination against coronavirus infection, apparently, are not significant, but the differences in two age groups – young people under 35 and older people (36 – 72 y.o.) turned out to be more significant: among young people, a slightly more positive attitude was recorded to science and to a vaccine than among the older group of respondents. The article raises the question of how this attitude to medical technology and vaccination is formed and what should be the role of government communications in this matter.

The key research interest of this paper is focused on identifying the presence and nature of opportunities for interaction between the region as an integral entity and its urban territories, represented by specific socio-cultural centers in the field of management practices. The author identifies the conceptual components of interactions of the region as a whole and its urban settlements, at the institutional level and in the views of the leaders: “moral region”, “neighborhood effect”, “cultural potential of the city”, which allow to identify contradictions in the studied object and outline further research prospects. Transformation of basic social institutions – family, education, culture, religion at the level of the region makes this property is transitive, which requires the use of nonlinear analysis approach to study its Genesis, identify the key approaches to understanding that in the future will allow us to build an integrated research program. The methodological model of the study is based on the integral approach of the founder of American urban sociology R. Park and the Russian urban scientist V.L. Glazychev. This allows us to generalize the existing data on the issue of interest to us and to find common patterns in the development of urban socio-cultural centers, as well as to analyze management practices. The empirical basis of the research is based on (1) semi-structured interviews with the heads of socio-cultural centers of urban settlements (libraries, museums, galleries, theaters, etc.) (n=10) conducted by the author in 2020; (2) data from the territorial body of the Federal state statistics service for the Kursk region for 2019; (3) secondary data from studies conducted in the socio-cultural centers of the Tobolsk, Ulyanovsk regions, the North Caucasus and Yakutia. As auxiliary methods, the study uses such General scientific methods as comparative analysis and comparative analysis of secondary sociological data. A descriptive method was also used to determine the degree of knowledge of management practices in the development of urban socio-cultural centers. For a comprehensive assessment of regional urban communities as an object of management influence, the analysis of statistical data for recent years was used.
The author’s conclusions can be formulated as follows: first, the interaction of urban territorial entities with the region as an integral system is currently presented as an institutionalized reserve for the development of its socio-cultural potential, establishing intra-and interregional relations; second, the main contradictions found in the results of the study were recorded in the twentieth century, and still remain unresolved: at the regional level and at the level of individual territories, managers measure the effectiveness of their work by heating up resources, increasing volumes and formalizing activities, while the population prefers a qualitative transformation of reality with elements of innovation and filling existing voids in the architectural and symbolic sense.

From the standpoint of sociological discourse analysis and reflective sociology the article examines the context of the “One Belt, One Road” concept based on some of the speeches of the President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping from 2013 to 2021. Since the first mention of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road by Li Keqiang in 2013, there has been some transformation of the concept, in particular, it was supplemented by an overland economic project, and the name “One Belt, One Road” (Belt and Road) was stuck behind it. The concept has come to be associated with the name of the President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping as its initiator, in whose discourse it sounds quite often. Of particular interest is the analysis of the biographical data of Wang Huning, member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee, who is considered one of the authors of the concept under study and Xi Jinping’s advisers. The academic background, the experience of communicating with the American intellectual elite, as well as the scientific interest in the study of European philosophical concepts led to sociological reflection, which influenced not only the semantic content of the Belt and Road, but also the foreign policy of China as a whole, the priority of which is European.

The paper represents the review of marketing management tools and technologies online: the concept of trust funnel, web-traffic temperature, digital marketing tools. The relevance of the work is determined by the following factors: first, globalization and digital revolution have irreversibly changed the trajectory of the marketing technology development path. Mass advertising has smoothly lost its influence, and companies began to focus more on the customer. The emergence of new digital media has led to new concept – digital marketing. Second, many organizations are using a combination of traditional and digital marketing channels; however, digital marketing is becoming more prominent as it allows for more precise tracking of resources and funds in relation to other traditional marketing channels. In conclusion, the authors highlight common elements in defining the concept of digital marketing: its connection with technological progress and the use of the Internet, leading us to social media. In the new digital age, the main function of marketing is to be in constant contact with users, customers, the community and other companies, provides relevant news and content that convey unique experiences, communicate with people, giving them the opportunity to interact with the company or brand.

Currently, the issue of the quality of professional education and compliance of the competencies of university graduates with the requirements of professional community is acute. New technologies require new approaches to the educational process and teaching methods . The development of humanitarian training in technical universities was initiated by economic considerations related to transformations in the economy and the restructuring of higher education. However, the high efficiency of such educational programs is now confirmed if they combine special competencies and knowledge of the characteristics of a specific industry, which becomes a competitive advantage of graduates in the labor market. A good example confirming this approach is the training of bachelors in the field of Advertising and Public Relations in technical universities.
The authors evaluated the effectiveness of communication features of bachelors training of a humanitarian profile in technical universities on the basis of such criteria as (1) the use of the scientific and educational potential of the university and its resources; (2) the interest caused by this direction among prospective students; (3) the specifics of the educational process; (4) the uniqueness of the competencies that graduates of a technical university have, (5) their demand in the labor market and socio-professional assessment. This study finalized in a poll of fourth (final) year undergraduate students studying in training profile “Advertising and Public Relations in the Aerospace Industry”. As the poll showed, graduates of humanitarian fields of training in technical universities can be characterized by lateral thinking, erudity, knowledge of industry specifics, and motivation to work in the chosen field. An important advantage of such training it the perception of students consists in application of knowledge gained in other industries. It is important to note that the high level of training is confirmed by the social and professional accreditation of the faculty.

The term Smart City (digital city, cybercity, city of knowledge, eco-city) is being increasingly used in the social space and media since the beginning of the twenty-first century. The term implies the comprehensive activities of international organizations (UN, EU, UAE, etc.) and cities to transform the social environment of megacities. In the presence of a significant number of publications related to IT technologies, clarification of the meaning and content of the social characteristics of the new phenomenon requires further research. The pilot-study of the social perceptions of the term Smart City was implemented by means of a content analysis of scientific literature, direct and remote polling of citizens using a random sample method (459 respondents). The respondents on the basis of the semantic differential method (M. Rokeach) have assessed the image of a Smart City, as well as a number of other images associated with its understanding on 16 and 28 scale-scripts, specially developed questionnaires containing also C. Alderfer’s and M. L scher’s tests. The received answers were subjected to the procedure of factorial and correlation analysis separately in each group of respondents. When processing the research results, the SPSS program was used.

Information opponency to Russia’s demographic challenges have gradually shifted to social networks, where many interesting discussions on demographic development of Russia are taking place. Authoritative experts of the state and society hardly participate in these discussions. As a result, a constructive dialogue between representatives of the state, society and the media on the issues of countering demographic challenges has not yet been established, which not only does not reduce the threat of population depopulation itself, but can also significantly exacerbate many of the social conflicts currently existing in Russia. When trying to establish a dialogue between the authorities, society and the media, the technologies of unilateral influence of the authorities on society in order to promote the interests of the authorities usually dominate, which happens without even analyzing and taking into account social opinion. On the one hand, the power of the state in Russia has always sought to subjugate society, and on the other hand, absenteeism and other forms of political passivity, numerous social conflicts and high radicalism among a part of the population of Russia make it impossible to fully harmonize relations between power, society and the media. Therefore, these forces the authorities should take the initiative into their own hands and try to dictate their will to both society and the media. Information policy is sometimes perceived by the authorities only as a means for realizing their own interests and trying to form a favorable impression of their activities among the population of the country. Today’s public information policy does not meet the level of demographic security challenges to the state.
Reviewing the materials of the All-Russian scientific and practical conference with international participation “Demographic development of Russia: problems and solutions” of April 26, 2021 on the basis of the South Russian Institute of Management – branch of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), the authors identify outline the key issues and and provide recommendations for improvement.

The paper is dedicated to the analysis of political innovations in the context of the general theory of innovation. The author defines the main scientific approaches used in social sciences and humanities to innovations, identifies the political features of the introduction of innovations, and, based on the examination of the problems of innovations introduction from the standpoint of political science, analyzes the role of Russian elites in the development of modern Russia. The study reveals the content of the concepts of innovation in the political sphere and political innovation, which are not that much the innovations per se, but the political processes determined by these innovations, as well as the associated political decisions and applied innovative political technologies. The article reveals the role of Russian elites in the innovative development of Russia, analyzes the susceptibility of Russian elites to innovations on the basis of the Elite Quality Index, and shows their ability to implement policies for the innovative development of Russia.

The article represents the results of the analysis of network electoral clusters as a phenomenon of cyber parties and political technologies in the electronic media environment in the context of the problem of consolidating political power. Pointing to the modern specifics of the electoral processes and institutions of modern Russia, the author justifies the movement of protest activity and manipulation by the electorate into the electronic space. Based on the review of the relevant publications, the author concludes that the analysis of network electoral clusters, as well as technologies for political mobilization on the Internet, represents an important source and a problematic field for political scientists working on the problem of consolidating political power. For a democratic solution to the problem, it is necessary to timely identify and take into account protest activity in the electronic media environment, monitor and prevent the spread of potentially dangerous content using the technical and communicative resources of social networks. At the same time, the solution of the problem is not limited to countermeasures in the Internet space, the introduction of censorship, etc. It lies in the plane of improving the interaction of society and power, the electoral legislation, the party system and the personal political competence of citizens, their ability to assess the reliability of information, determine their political preferences, focusing not only on the political image of parties (party brand), but also the real content of their activities and programs.

The relevance of the article is associated by the author with the complex socioeconomic, political realities in which modern Russian society finds itself. The author turns to the category “social time” to characterize the changes in various spheres of society’s life. Focusing on such modern trends as digitalization, commercialization, atomization of society and the individual, the author turns to the category of “human capital”, designed to smooth out the indicated negative phenomena and restore the integrity of the social communications system. As a confirmation of the importance of human capital development at the state level, the article analyzes the fundamental doctrinal documents in the area under consideration. The author is elected for understanding the Priority-2030 program as an urgent initiative aimed, among other things, at building up human capital with the help of the education system. The author analyzes various authors’ positions in order to identify threats that impede the development of human capital within the education system. The methodological basis of the study was the methods of content analysis of the works of leading researchers, as well as discourse analysis of publications in the media and information resources. Analysis of the regulatory framework, as well as significant research platforms, allowed us to conclude that the principles of commercialization, digitalization, and bureaucratization prevail in the modern educational paradigm. At the same time, national priorities for building up human capital require a value-semantic foundation, which culture and educational activities are capable of providing.

The article examines the semantic and style concepts of the functioning of mass communication in modern conditions, determines their role and significance for the transfer of public information from the communicator to the recipient. The author, analyzing the semantics and stylistics of media texts of an outstanding communicative personality (well-known journalist E.E. Kish), (1) traces gradual changes in the author’s worldview and the associated transformation of the nominal language and style; (2) identifies creative resources strengthening the intention of a journalistic work and improving the perceptual effect in “Author” – “Audience”, (3) comments on the positions established in the theory of the press on the relationship of ideas and style in publishing and (4) gives professional lessons in figurative and logical mastery novice journalists.

The paper is devoted to the issues of interrelations between subjects of communication. The aim of the study is to analyze the role of trust in the source of information as a factor in effective communication. The objectives of the research are to differentiate the environmental and subjective approaches to the study of communication, to identify models of the communicative act at the present stage, to determine the principles of the relationship between the subjects of communication, to describe the factors that affect the degree of trust in the source of information, to develop criteria for studying the subject and his behavior in the communication process at the present stage. The research methodology includes a descriptive and survey method in the study of the theory of the issue, analysis and comparison of concepts from the point of view of philosophy, sociology, communication, psychology. The author examines the criteria for determining the “subject”, “subjectivity”, the psychological phenomenon of “trust” in the process of implementing media communication. The article describes various aspects of communicative relations related to the degree of subjects’ trust in the source of information and gives practical examples of the behavior of subjects of communication.

The paper actualizes the problem of discourse pragmatics. The authors provide the detailed description of the communicative techniques for enhancing the pragmatic utterance effect of the medical discourse subject in the open communication situation. The study is based on the texts of conference reports and interviews of representatives of the medical and scientific elite who have addressed the topic of a new coronavirus infection pandemic in 2020-2021 and those are solving the task of the public education in the area. Based on this analysis the authors provide a system of speech tactics that ensure the solution of this problem, and linguistic techniques for their implementation, which together form the pragmatic effect of the statements of the subject of medical discourse.