Social interaction and coping with complex social situations in the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The purpose of the article is studying the changes in interaction, experiences and social perceptions of student youth within the COVID-19 pandemic.

The method and methodology. The study was carried out as part of applying a scientific approach to social interaction as the dynamics for group conscious and group unconscious. The anonymous online survey was used as the data collection method, and the student youth from various regions of Ukraine was actively involved in it. When processing the findings of the study, there were established links that form social perceptions of young people about complex social situations, practices, behaviours and interactions of young people and their experiences.

The results. Along with signs of stress, the study revealed the presence of positive experiences mainly related to interactions. There was identified an increase in online social interaction by 62.6 per cent, in using social networks by 59.6 per cent, and offline social interaction during quarantine by 15.3 per cent. Moreover, there were identified links between (1) anxiety to becoming ill with COVID-19 and using social networks; (2) social network use and online social interaction; and (3) offline interaction and volunteer activities. A negative semantic relationship has been established between behavioural model of «wearing a medical mask» and enjoying an own lifestyle. The retrieved data illustrate low differentiation of respondents' perceptions over social situation, as well as agglutination of various social issues in their minds. In addition to the above findings, the need for communication between young people was revealed, as well as positive expectations towards the whole society getting involved in solving the problems of young people. This actually makes young people vulnerable to manipulative political influences.

Practical importance and prospects for further research. The obtained data regarding young people use the online social interaction platforms can be further used in social advertising, which in turn can be aimed at strengthening the desirable behavioural patterns (social distancing, wearing masks, etc.). The study also unlocks the opportunity to explore changes in social interaction between young people in the context of digitalization process.