CONSUMER NEEDS IN THE DIGITAL SOCIETY: CHALLENGES OF THE INFORMATION AND NETWORK ECONOMY
Abstract
The article explores the peculiarities of the formation of the information and network economy and its role in the transformation of the consumer needs system. It traces the emergence of a new nature of connections between economic entities, based on information and network relations to streamline their interactions. In this context, information acquires the status of goods, services, and resources, and acts as a significant source of added value. It is determined that the rapid development of information and communication technologies leads to radical changes in three dimensions: subject-object (priority of intangible goods), differentiation of needs (intellectualization of choice), and changing interaction mechanisms (virtualization of markets). It is substantiated that the emergence of specific information and network goods-digital products and online services-fundamentally changes the system of preferences for subjects. In particular, changes are traced in the subjects of consumption; the objects of consumption (a significant increase in the share of intangible needs in the structure of needs); and the conditions of interaction between economic entities (intensive development of information and communication technologies, virtualization of economic activity, growth of the service sector in economic activity, globalization of the economy, establishment of network structures, etc.). It is shown that the transformation of needs occurs under the influence of new information and network goods, such as information goods, software, digital goods, online services, and others. The formation of a new consumer model is proven, one oriented towards satisfying needs of an intangible dimension, which requires agents to have a higher level of cognitive abilities and knowledge to make choices in conditions of information saturation. The challenges of the information and network economy are identified, particularly the phenomenon of "information oversaturation" and fatigue, which have become critical factors affecting human mental health and productivity, increasing risks to their psycho-emotional state and the preservation of the cognitive ability to make decisions.
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