The Influence of New Media on the Formation of Youth Worldview: the need for epistemological transformations in Dagestan

The article is devoted to understanding and assessing the changes occurring in the self-identification of young people under the influence of new media, especially in the regional aspect. The need for such an assessment seems especially relevant in national regions, in particular in light of the tragic events in the Republic of Dagestan in 2023–2024. These events are driven, in some degree, by distortions in the perception of information based on specific socio-cultural and religious characteristics in conditions of a multilingual and multicultural environment. The transfer of mass and social communication to the global network, in addition to objective opportunities for strengthening social ties, has led to a number of issues. The author sees their solution in the field of education and upbringing, namely in the local adaptation of educational practices depending on national and religious affiliation, the commensurability of knowledge with modern requirements, and the role of regional (national) opinion leaders as sources of practically significant knowledge. Given the high susceptibility of Dagestani youth to information disseminated in new media and social networks, the author suggests updating intellectual and educational work with young people, creating a basis for adequate self-identification of the young people who face obvious challenges speaking different languages and having socio-cultural differences within one region. One of the solutions may be the emergence of educational and intellectual platforms that contribute to the creation and development of ideological foundations of young people in order to introduce them to the history, education, science and culture of Dagestan.