Individual Identity in the Digital Age of Social Communication

This article contains a study of analysis of dynamic development of information and communication technologies that result in new forms of socialization and individualization. Such transformations cause changes in social life (in a way of social interactions and contacts), as well as value-and norm-based and cultural space. Thereby, at first the visualization of social contacts allowed an individual to try on social masks of anonymity, but later it gave a possibility to form their own self-portraits of a virtual personality. The ones were presented in a network communication first, but later were used in real life.It is worth mentioning that digital society is a multi-layered and complex mechanism. This fact is confirmed by the number of contradictions that are arising for the first time and must be harmonized. As a result of the blurring of boundaries between the real and virtual life, the usual interpersonal communication is being digitalized. This is happening due to the reason that digital representation of a person either confirms their real life or demonstrates its latent desirable identity. In pursuit of personal self-determination (or at least understanding personal goals), people escape to the Internet, and try on multiple identifiers there. Defining characteristics of identifies construction are the existence of the physical presence (during the actual interaction) and its absence (in the online environment). It is the possibility of being physically absent online that gives the freedom for self-presentation, portraying oneself in the way which is impermissible in the real life.The paper focuses on the fact that in the context of modern development of society, digital identity and its image character are an important condition for social adaptation to the new challenges of the postmodern world. Identity today is not a result, but rather a process, a constant creation and improvement of oneself. In order to be able to take a desirable and comfortable place in society, it is necessary to take into account the important role of flexibility and the ability to adapt to new circumstances. It is the features mentioned above that will allow minimizing the evolvement of conflict situations and positively affect the self-realization of individuals and influencing the harmonious development of society as a whole, which in the post-industrial era is characterized by rapid development and transition to new areas of social interaction. All this affects the development of new values, which are constantly moving in the digital environment of the present time. The post-industrial space tends to transform the representation of the individual in its virtual form, which performs the task of necessary adaptation in the changing information flow of the global digital environment.