Стаценко Олеся Александровна

The article analyzes some specific features of information consumption among students. It gives general characteristic of students as a special social group with a common activity, common interests, group identity, certain subculture and lifestyle and age uniformity that distinguishes students from other socio-professional groups. Some students` features influencing the nature of information consumption such as mobility, importance of educational and developing sources of information, intensity of social interactions and others have been found. There is also a review of studies on the nature of information consumption among students. The expansion of information sources occurred at the turn of the XX and XXI centuries because of information resources expense and social networks, which are widely used as a source of information and as a special communication tool has been noted. We have found out that the structure of information sources is not differentiated, and is characterized by substitution processes due to the speed of obtaining information from electronic sources, convenience and ease of use. At the same time, in the conditions of expanding the availability of information resources, there is a gradual displacement of traditional sources of information, such as personal interaction, print media, television, etc. It is concluded that there is growing dependence on the Internet in general and social networks in particular among young people. This trend is typical for the most developed countries, including Russia. Network resources distribution allows to optimize communication processes. But at the same time, the low quality of published information and the lack of legal regulation of the Internet contributes to the decline in socialization quality, opens up opportunities for manipulation, mind control, increases the risks of information security.