THE PHENOMENON OF TRUST IN THE DIGITAL SPACE: MODELING DECENTRALIZED COMMUNICATIONS IN TERMS OF MODERN INFORMATION WARS

Objective of the study is to research various instruments for shaping and transformation of digital trust in terms of decentralized communications and information wars as a complex of disinformation attacks aimed at destroying traditional hierarchical structures of trust. Methodological basis of the study. The authors use actor-network theory, classical sociological theories of structuration and social systems, as well as the methodology of Social Network Analysis (SNA). The methodological framework is also based on a critical deconstruction of the epistemological foundations of traditional sociological knowledge, which makes it possible to understand digital trust as a phenomenon in which the processes of legitimization, symbolic exchange and distribution of power are closely intertwined with its technological determinants. Results of the study.  Three models of mechanisms for the shaping and transformation of digital trust in terms of decentralized communications have been developed and tested; the conclusion is that the self-organizing, flexible and decentralized nature of modern communication systems allows for high resilience even under extreme information loads. Prospects of the study.  The results presented in the article open up new directions for interdisciplinary research of digital trust. Interdisciplinary collaboration between sociologists, cybersecurity specialists, and experts in the field of blockchain technologies will improve theoretical and practical aspects of modeling decentralized communication systems.