Image as instrument for ''Generation Y'' consciousness and behavior management

Modern youth or, the so called 'Generation Y', hasbecome the most active social subject of network information-communication society. It happened due to fast development oftechnologies and new media and also to 'natural' interest of young people in everything new. Unlike other social groups which use newmedia, youth is involved in social processes based on a particular type of information. It is image-based information which is managedby nature as it actualizes certain stereotypes and grounds for reputation in young people's consciousness. It brings into focus parallelswith standards of behavior accepted in the society and current trends (in fashion, pop-culture, etc). From socio-philosophical point ofview, image is one of symbolic assets (P. Bourdieu) which is represented in 'formulated' (stereotyped, processable) attitude of a subjecttowards the reality. This attitude determines one's behavior in accordance with the basic values of the society. From socio-psychologicalpoint, image is a form and a result of implementing of three functions typical for modern and ancient people: 1) identification(recognition) by a subject of somebody or something among similar objects; 2) self-identification of a subject (determining one's own'common' and unique characteristics); 3) self-presentation (acknowledged demonstration of one's 'similarity' or 'particularity' (C. Jung).The authors believe that implementation of all the functions occurs simultaneously on three levels of symbolic managerial (imagebased)communication: emotional-evaluative, ethical-aesthetic, and value-objective. The first level allows perceiving and evaluatinginformation applying to subconscious emotional-sensual experience of a managing subject. The second level applies to some aestheticimages and standards of behavior accepted in the society. The third level is about accepting and demonstrating some social status whichcorresponds to objectives and values of a subject. It is possible to suggest that the described mechanism of image functioning as aninstrument for managing consciousness and behavior of 'network' and 'non-network' youth is universal. However, digital technologiesand new media provide with unlimited opportunities for gaining symbolic assets and for self-actualization of 'Generation Y'representatives. They also intensify the managerial resource of the image-based communication. As a result, 'Generation Y' becomesmore and more manageable and programmed by the basic subjects of the strategic (J. Habermas) image-based communication eventhough young people feel more and more 'free' in virtual space. This is one of the major problems of network informationcommunicationsociety, which requires great socio-philosophical reflection.

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