The Influence of Economic Digital Ecosystems on the Formation of Social Representations of the Subject

Kalinin Dmitrii Vasilievich ORCID: 0009-0007-0752-6151 Postgraduate Student, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, MIREA - Russian Technological University 78 Prospekt Vernadskogo str., Moscow, 119454, Russia mopocc@mail.ru

Nikitina Elena Alexandrovna ORCID: 0000-0002-7779-2718 Doctor of Philosophy Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, MIREA - Russian Technological University 78 Prospekt Vernadskogo str., Moscow, 119454, Russia nikitina@mirea.ru

Introduction

Qualitative changes are taking place in the modern information society due to the established information technology and information and communication infrastructure and the development of digital technologies ^[1]. One of the manifestations of the ongoing social changes is the growth and spread of digital ecosystems covering various spheres of society and human activity. In the socio-economic sphere, there is the formation and growth of economic digital ecosystems (Beber, Yandex, MTS and others), which are beginning to influence the structure of the economy. This is evidenced by the steady trend of increasing the market value of companies developing digital ecosystems as a new business model ^[2].

Theoretical studies of ecosystems as a way of organizing economic activity are just beginning and publications are mainly devoted to the analysis of various private aspects of the functioning of economic ecosystems. Accordingly, the philosophical and methodological analysis of the essence of economic digital ecosystems, their increasing role in the organization of society's life in the digital environment and the study of socio-philosophical problems arising in this regard are also in the process of formation.

The relevance of discussing these problems is due to the intensive renewal of sociality in the context of digitalization of society, the observed trend of including information and digital technologies in social interaction, the need to identify ways and directions of changes in social perceptions and values in the digital environment and discuss emerging risks and problems.

The risks are largely related to the fact that in the digital communication environment, value-oriented actions that have become familiar are gradually institutionalized.  Thus, the constant use of the digital format programs, as the researchers note, "a set of social rules and basic values", which are then automated, detailed and can be transferred to the legal sphere ^{[3, p. 45]}.  Early identification of the negative consequences and risks of these processes will help to avoid social upheavals and manage emerging risks.

The research is aimed at identifying the ways and mechanisms of the influence of economic digital ecosystems on the formation of social representations of the subject. Theoretically, the potential and tools for studying social transformations in the digital environment of modern society contain S. Moscovici's theory of social representations, which has been developed in modern social philosophy and social psychology. S. Moscovici drew attention to the complex, heterogeneous structure of social representations. The interpretation of social representations, i.e., a certain specific content and combination of structural components of social representations in various social sciences and humanities will vary, depending on which discipline - psychology, sociology, philosophy - social representations are considered. At the same time, social representations, in accordance with the functions they perform, contain models of social behavior and identity. In this regard, it is necessary to take into account the factor of formation of social representations in a particular society. Is society in a stable state or is it currently experiencing a state of social transitivity characterized by instability of social concepts, norms and values? Have the basic values that consolidate society been formed and formulated, or are the social representations of society fragmented, and identity is in the process of formation?

In the context of the formation of a digital society and social transitivity, it seems advisable to focus on those new ways and mechanisms of forming social representations that are being constructed in the digital technological environment of a network society, in particular, in economic digital ecosystems.

Economic digital ecosystems: features and objectives

Digital ecosystems largely reflect the economic aspect of the digital transformation of society. Indeed, the efforts of the state, business and a number of institutions are aimed at developing criteria, targets, methods and approaches for digital development. They are based on economic indicators of the intensity of the infrastructure modernization process, the effectiveness of investments and specific financial results. The essential characteristics of this process, such as increasing the complexity of the system, improving adaptability to external conditions, increasing the scale of the phenomenon, quantitative growth of the economy and qualitative improvement of its structure ^{[4, p. 15]} are subordinated to the desire for innovation. To realize this aspiration, management technologies are constantly being improved, various models of which are embodied in the form of specific solutions in the field of information and digital infrastructure.

It should be noted that in terms of complexity, digital ecosystems are self-developing complex systems with a high level of adaptability to the environment through the use of digital technologies and innovations. In human-sized systems of this type, connecting humans, social, natural and information technology environments, the management of various types of human activities is evolutionarily formed. At the same time, new levels in the hierarchy, new subsystems arise ^{[5, 6]} and, let us note, new levels of integration.

Most often, an ecosystem is a product of a large company, as it requires huge resources to create and maintain its activities. Digital ecosystems, as a rule, have a mission and values that are reflected in everything that a company creates.  For example, Yandex formulates its mission as follows: "To help people solve their problems and achieve their goals in life." Large corporations often have their own position in the political, economic and social spheres of society.  With the advent of ecosystems and advanced digital tools, corporations have the opportunity to promote their position and values among their users as part of the company's global mission. This process is reflected in many functions of ecosystems and social networks - from blocking certain words, tags and political statements, to the realization of certain racial or gender diversity among actors and advertising people ^[7].

Economic digital ecosystems as systems of economic relations and connections of subjects of the digital ecosystem based on digital platform services arise as a result of the digital transformation of production, distribution, exchange and consumption. The creation of digital ecosystems is a business response to the accelerating pace of changing consumer preferences, which in turn is a consequence of the development of the information society, in which the density and speed of information flow have increased. At the moment, a significant part of consumers are already involved in the digital environment ^[8].

An economic digital ecosystem is "a set of services, including platform solutions, of a single group of companies or companies and partners that allow users to receive a wide range of products and services within a single seamless integrated process" ^{[9, p. 45]}. Examples of digital ecosystems are Beber, Yandex, MTS and others.

Let's pay attention to such a technological feature of digital ecosystems as "seamless". The seamless digital environment of the ecosystem, in which the company's own services and partner services are presented, is created thanks to single sign-on technology, i.e. working under a single account in a variety of digital services. Seamless operation is realized not only for the internal information systems of the organization, but also for the external user/consumer in the form of a smooth transition from one type of interaction to another. Access to services through a single account ensures that there are no boundaries between services, for example, in the form of a personal account. The range of services and products provided within the framework of a single seamless integrated process implemented through the platform and mobile applications is expanding. So, in the digital ecosystem, you can conduct financial transactions, pay for housing and communal services, buy plane tickets, order delivery, etc.

But simultaneously with the provision of services, the platform begins to form a consumption model: from placing an order to tracking it or statistics, using interactive game elements (gamification). Such technologies are used by business and government agencies to "increase the target audience and geographical coverage of the enterprise through the use of all forms of digital channels and their points of contact" ^{[10, p. 50]}.

And, if you imagine an ideal economic ecosystem, then it should ensure that the maximum number of human needs are met. And it is precisely in order to bind the consumer to themselves as much as possible, ecosystem creators study the interests, preferences, and social behavior of users and consumers.

Digital ecosystems are beginning to have a noticeable impact on socio-economic relations and are gradually becoming involved in social interaction, forming a new consumption model and influencing social perceptions. Digital ecosystems acquire the functions of a collective distributed entity and begin to influence the content, structure and way of forming human values, rationality, and lifestyle. It should be noted that in the emerging digital communicative environment, the basic values and representations of the subject are transformed and at the same time new, specific values that are not typical for the real sphere of society's life, such as, in particular, the communicative network status, appear. Accordingly, in conditions when a significant part of consumers, especially the younger generation, are already involved in the digital environment, the influence of ecosystems on social representations increases.

In modern realities, many large international companies consider the social representation of consumers to be a very important element of their brand perception, directly affecting loyalty to it. That is why they pay great attention to their presence on social networks (to work with the audience and even communicate with the consumer), cooperation with opinion leaders (to promote their brand and convey the company's values), the development of ecosystems, adaptation to the political conjuncture. An example of such an adaptation is the departure of a company from a certain country for political reasons due to fears of the formation of a stable negative identification in the social representation of the largest part of the loyal audience. Perhaps, in most cases, there is a reassessment of financial losses from this phenomenon in comparison with losses caused by abandoning the sales market and getting rid of part of the production facilities located in the country being abandoned. At the moment, there is no unambiguous answer to this question, but already now we can say that there is a significant influence of the social representation of the subject as a consumer on the economy mainly through preferences. At the same time, large economic players (private and public) can manage the attention of a huge audience both with the help of various digital social engineering tools and with the help of specialized elements of their ecosystems.

The problem of transformation of social representations in the digital environment

economic ecosystems

Economic digital ecosystems are aimed at forming values for society, strive to meet the maximum possible number of human needs, are focused on the younger generation, whose socialization took place in the information and communication environment of the information society and involve the younger generation in this process.

     The theory of social representations is based on an approach according to which it is possible to determine the influence of a group on social representation by studying the group's attitude to perceived information, the frequency of use of any formed representation. At the same time, it provides an opportunity to study the influence of social representations on the group and its identity ^[11]. In this regard, it is necessary to pay close attention to the risks of manipulation of social representations, social facts that arise in the digital communication environment and require their study. In general, as the researchers note, it is possible to study the processes of social transformation based on the theory of social representations ^[12].

The so-called "generation Z" began to play a significant role in economic relations in society. The development of digital technologies has shaped the generation that grew up in the digital environment ^{[13, p. 25]}. And the digital environment has been influenced by the needs of the younger generation. The following is a set of ecosystem characteristics that distinguish them from other management models: "flexibility, adaptability, modularity, dynamism, openness, evolution, competition, symbiosis, self-organization" ^{[14, p. 23]}. The main features of the virtual space of human activity are: manageability and easy accessibility, sensory brightness and attractiveness; speed of movement; spatial coverage. These features are also requirements for a successful information product, and the digital ecosystem in particular. The reason for their occurrence is the desire to adapt to young consumers, whose number will only grow.

In Russia, by 2025, generation Z will account for about 25% of the total workforce ^{[15, p. 272]}. Therefore, the main features of ecosystems must adapt to the values of the new generation, taking into account the process of diffusion of digital technologies into everyday life, which occurs much faster in generation Z. Among the main values of this generation that should be paid attention to when creating ecosystems and organizing business processes are: freedom, personalization, learning, honesty, collaboration, entertainment, innovation ^{[15, pp. 275-276]}.

Generation Z is the first generation in human history, which was formed from birth under the influence of the Internet and social networks). If previous generations, creating an information society, brought their values to this environment, now, taking into account all the transformations that took place inside it, this environment itself began to form values among the younger generation. First of all, this happens with the help of Internet culture, which is in constant dynamics due to the high rate of interpersonal interactions in the digital environment.

In the conditions of an information society, the main consequences of which are the high speed of information dissemination, high density of flow and short lifetime of the information channel, when one news item very soon replaces another, the subject has to quickly form his own attitude based on a network of concepts, statements, conclusions drawn from the Internet, actually borrowing a social representation from others. And the further away he is from this problem, the less his own influence on the formation of this idea ^[16].

Due to the increased requirements for the amount of processed information for in-depth study of any issue, a person "strives to arrange a psychologically comfortable, proportionate and "his" information space" ^{[17, p. 13]}, which causes a craving for the creation of an "information bubble". The ecosystem creates a single standard in a complicated socio-economic environment, unifying the interface and processes for users of various services, thus striving to become an essential part of its information bubble. For example, it is convenient for the user when the navigator map interface is used in the taxi ordering application, or the general data of payment elements or biometrics is used to purchase a wide variety of goods and services. Digital rationality is being formed.

Millennials, and especially Generation Z, have a different system of authority than previous generations. Personal authority now plays a lesser role, having lost out in the competitive struggle to the authority of the "collective subject". This concept unites various manifestations of "creative, design and constructive activity of the modern information society" ^{[6, p. 122]}. Such manifestations include encyclopedias that are open for editing, forums, etc. As a result, there is no interaction between the subjects, but the interaction of the subject with a collective digital transpersonal community that combines consensus relations, values, behavioral models and knowledge developed using social rating tools, formed thanks to developed intra-network communication using such modern digital technologies as social networks and a unified information environment. The simplest social rating tool is a system of positive and negative ratings of user comments. As a rule, a collective digital transpersonal community manifests itself most strongly within a social group belonging to the same culture, however, a larger-scale education based on global culture is also possible. When communicating online, a subject may perceive interlocutors not as a multitude of individual personalities, but as a single "super-personality" with elements of unity of contradictions, ranked by the degree of social support. Also, the "leaders of public opinion", the subjects with the greatest social approval in certain issues, have gained wide popularity and social weight in this aspect.

In the process of attracting a new audience, ecosystems are focused specifically on the younger generation, who find it easier to form a stable loyalty to their product than the older generation due to already formed habits and conservative thinking. By embedding into its value system those that coincide with those of Generation Z, it gradually builds sustainable trust in the product and the flow of information it provides. In this way, the ecosystem gets access to the process of forming unconscious social representations, projecting its position and its ideas using various tools, for example, using search algorithms and selection of recommendations.

Separately, it is worth paying attention to the gamification process. First of all, it has always been considered as a tool to improve the quality of the educational process ^[18], while the function of consumer retention in the digital environment of the company remained on the periphery of attention. Using gameplay to engage users turns the service into a small ecosystem by itself, adding an entertainment service. Gamification is becoming an important element of using consumer values such as entertainment, personalization, fascination, quick results, and a policy of small rewards. The predominance of the "economy of impressions" over the "economy of needs", when most of the purchases are no longer purely utilitarian in nature (where, as previously believed, the consumer is looking for the "best price / quality ratio"), but rather emotional. And consumers are also looking for some "fun", emotion, pleasure in goods ^{[19, p. 67]}.

Thus, digital communication technologies are included in social interaction and begin to influence the economic behavior and economic preferences of users ^[20]. In this regard, the task of anticipating social discussion of possible negative consequences of technology development in the context of a social assessment of technology becomes acute ^[21].

Conclusions

Social representations are updated and broadcast in the process of communication. The development of digital communications has led to the emergence of new ways and mechanisms for the formation and transmission of social ideas. Economic digital ecosystems are beginning to have a significant impact on the formation of ideas about identity and behavior as structural components of social representations, affecting, in particular, the formation of consumption patterns and models of economic and financial behavior. Digital economic ecosystems that combine services, products and information are aimed at ensuring that the maximum number of human needs are met. At the same time, digital ecosystems have high adaptability and a variety of information technology means of personalization, which contributes to the involvement of the user in the activities of the digital ecosystem. The influence of economic digital ecosystems on social perceptions is most significantly manifested in the younger generation due to the high degree of involvement in the digital environment and the loss of the period of formation of these perceptions in the era of the already formed infrastructure of the information society.

Digital ecosystems form an environment in which it is more convenient for the user to delegate the process of forming opinions or even social representations to public opinion leaders, popular experts, and highly specialized creators of information content. At the same time, the high adaptability of the personalization process in the digital ecosystem creates the illusion of user control over the issues of filtering information and content, and setting up a list of preferences. 

In the digital communication environment, and in the ecosystem in particular, a collective digital transpersonal community is being formed. The digital communication environment acquires the functions of a collective distributed entity and begins to influence social perceptions. It should be noted that the subject, being part of a collective entity or a collective digital transpersonal community, also affects the development of various digital economic entities, including digital ecosystems, to no less extent than they affect it. A "cycle" of values is being formed, as a phenomenon that has yet to be studied.  

The digital ecosystem is able to broadcast not only the values inherent in it when creating, but also those that were formed in the process of its existence, development and acquisition of its audience.