THE MEDIA PROJECT “EARTH WITHOUT BORDERS” AS A CHALLENGE TO CULTURAL AND SOCIAL IDENTITY

The article examines the media project "Earth Without Borders" as a phenomenon of the information civilization, outlining contradictions related to the transformation of the social and cultural identity of modern humans. This is related to the growing virtualization of the lifeworld, where media not only represent reality but also actively shape it, creating new conditions for human existence. It is emphasized that media reality acquires a total character, gradually displacing the concept of boundaries – not only geographical but also conceptual, cognitive, and sociocultural. The virtualization of the world is accompanied by the formation of a new image of the Earth as a "dual Earth". The risks arising from this process are highlighted: from the fragmentation of social experience to the loss of an individual's ability for reflection and critical thinking. The aim of the article is to analyze the challenges to social and cultural identity in the context of the media project "Earth Without Borders". Research methodology: the method of theoretical analysis, which made it possible to examine the phenomenon of the media project "Earth Without Borders" and interpret its impact on sociocultural processes; the method of ontological analysis, aimed at studying changes in the structure of human existence under the influence of digital media and the formation of the media space; the systemic approach, which made it possible to identify the relationship between the emergence of media reality, the deconstruction of spatial and social boundaries, and the transformation of human experience. The generalizations presented in the article led to the conclusion that the media project "Earth Without Borders" generates new conceptual challenges to traditional models of representing social and cultural identity. This is related to the erosion of social structure, values, norms, and symbols that previously shaped the sociocultural identity of an individual. Everything becomes transparent and open to interpretation, which has a profound impact both on the transformation of social institutions and on the formation of a new human – the media human. The recognition of the all-encompassing nature of media reality opens new perspectives for understanding the ontological and existential challenges of human existence, among which the preservation of social and cultural identity holds a central place.