The specifics of the functioning of the modern youth identity formation mechanism in a changing social reality

This article off ers a look at the process of identity formation of representatives of generations Z (Homelanders) in a modern reading, taking into account such a challenge as a changing social reality. The rapid informatization of society led to the digitization of the social system and the datifi cation of the living space, which, in turn, aff ected interpersonal interactions and communications which are important for the socialization process. The emerging collapse of social space in its traditional form in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic signifi cantly worsened the present situation. The latter circumstance aff ected the personal and group identities of the representatives of society. In this regard, the author focuses on the peculiarities of the process of identity formation of young people who are at the stage of primary socialization; specifi es the elements of the mechanism of identity formation; off ers a conceptual apparatus that allows detailed conceptualization of the observed changes. The author’s theoretical and methodological research is based on a synergetic interdisciplinary paradigm, a phenomenological approach, the theory of generations, publications of Russian sociologists engaged in the study of youth problems through the prism of the concept of uncertainty, nonlinearity and risk in the youth environment (primarily, the works of V. I. Chuprov, Yu. A. Zubok). The article continues the author’s cycle of the publications devoted to the reflection of the categories “liminality”, “liminal identity”, “social singularity”.