THE SHAPING OF UKRAINIAN YOUTH IDENTITY THROUGH THE MASS MEDIA AND CONTEMPORARY MILITARISM AS A PREREQUISITE FOR ENSURING UKRAINE’S NATIONAL SECURITY
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/2520-2626/2026.38.5
Abstract
Abstract. This article examines how Ukraine’s mass media and contemporary military literature influence the formation of Ukrainian identity among young people. This process is analysed in the context of ensuring the national security of the state and society. Research into the information landscape of modern, war-torn Ukraine, particularly the media and military-oriented publications, is currently one of the most pressing areas not only of humanities discourse but also of practical application in the fight against Russian propaganda and disinformation. It is worth noting that the Ukrainian state takes information security seriously. Contemporary socio-humanitarian research in Ukraine, four years into the Russian aggressor’s full-scale invasion of our homeland, records a number of interesting changes in the identity-forming processes of Ukrainian youth.
In general, the identity formation processes and value orientations of Ukrainian youth, whilst not the central themes of Ukrainian mass media during this bloody war, are frequently discussed in the context of other highly topical issues.
Among the conclusions, one can rightly highlight the process of active affirmation and crystallisation of Ukrainian identity among young people; the active civic stance of Ukraine’s young citizens; and solidarity, security, resilience, freedom and justice as the priority characteristics of the younger generation’s value orientations. Instead of the ‘successful businessman’ or the ‘glamour model’, the media are presenting images of young defenders, paramedics and volunteers. The identity of today’s young people in times of war is often built around being of use to the community. If you do not help, you are ‘out of touch’ or ‘out of the loop’, and this creates a certain amount of social pressure on young people.
Thus, both the mass media of modern Ukraine and its militaristic culture play a significant role in shaping a patriotic-minded young generation of Ukrainian citizens.
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