The Technologies of the Network Prosperity in Russia

Abstract

The article investigates the impact of the information technology revolution on shifts in the social structure of the contemporary Russian society. The revolutionary changes in the social life of the elderly are examined. The specific features of the information technology revolution in Russia, along with general, inherent features of all developed countries, have a significant impact on all aspects of the modernization of contemporary Russian society. The elderly are the most socially vulnerable group in need of a decent quality of life and health.It is emphasized that the rapid ageing of the population as a whole and the high rate of labor activity among the elderly is leading to a more intensively ageing of the workforce in Russia when compared with developing countries. At the same time, there is an increasingly significant need for the development of social services such as education, health care, medical services, vocational training and the retraining of the elderly. Annual government spending on social programs is insufficient, not only in providing a system of social services that meet the needs of the era of the information technology revolution, but also in solving the acute problems such as poverty among the elderly. The authors justify the necessity to integrate the elderly into the World Wide Web (Internet) in order to expand their opportunities for social self-identification and to carry out multifaceted human potential. The Internet is seen by users as a means of dialogue - a two-way communication between people. It acts as an intermediary between the public and local authorities. In this regard, wide access to information currently gives senior citizens many more opportunities, and utility maximization occurs at higher levels of need gratification.