ESCAPISM: MYTH OR REALITY?

The article deals with the problematics of escapism as a cultural and socio-psychological phenomenon. It analyses the conditions and factors contributing to its spread and establishment as modus of existence. It is shown how the processes of digitalization lead to the emergence of virtual escapism. Attention is drawn to the development of escapist consciousness and escapist practices in the youth environment. It is noted that escapism as a social phenomenon has always been present in human history, but it turned out to be especially demanded by the imperatives of mass culture. It is emphasized that escapism is largely produced by the real conditions of existence, its stochasticity and uncertainty have a contradictory impact on social practices and interactions. Escapism is seen as a phenomenon that has a dual nature and contains both positive and negative meanings. It is noted that an exclusively negative perception of escapism does not allow us to fully assess its nature and identify the possibilities of its impact on the psycho-emotional states of young people. Social and virtual escapism is studied in the context of hybrid existence - natural (physical) and artificial, in the space of which the life of modern man unfolds. Virtual escapism is understood as an escape, on the one hand, from the realities and complexities of everyday life, unfreedom limited by various prohibitions and social norms, and, on the other hand, as a return toauthentic life due to the emerging digital addiction. It is emphasized that the illusory and simulative nature of the virtual world turns into an inability to rationally comprehend what is happening in real life. It is stressed that imaginary and fictional images of the web space deform consciousness and destructively influence social behavior.