The spread of new types of economic activity of young people in social networks is closely related to the growth of information and communication technologies and the formation of the digital economy, with the development and implementation of a large number of innovations. The paper investigates the factors of development and the consequences of the economic activity of young people (freelancers) on the Internet, in social network "VKontakte". The relevance of the research problem coheres with the fact that the implementation of the national program "Digital economy of the Russian Federation" is based not only on economic indicators of digital economy growth (indicators are published annually in the statistics digests of the Institute of Statistic Studies and Economics of Knowledge and the National Research University "Higher School of Economics"). The national program also takes into consideration sociological research of new forms of economic activity of young people, which raises many research problems further outlined. What is the motivation behind the formation of new practices? What are the challenges young people face using social networks for their economic activity? Probably, the most important issue is discovering the specifics of the economic behavior of young people using the opportunities of the digital economy. The article draws an inference concerning the correlation between new practices of economic behavior and the intensification of economic activity of young people.

The strategic goal of digitalization of the social sphere is the need to improve the quality of life of service recipients. The authors note that the assessment of the quality of social services in social work requires uniform criteria for both traditional and electronic services: accessibility, priority, timeliness of provision, appropriate documentation of the service. The paper indicates that the foreign and domestic experience of digitalization of social services differs in the following positions: the Internet infrastructure of Russia requires technical development, the activities of which are laid down in the "Strategy for the Development of the Information Society in the Russian Federation for 2017–2030" and will be implemented over time; in Russia, the entire process of providing digital social services is concentrated in the hands of the state, while the European experience shows the effectiveness of attracting private companies. At the same time, the domestic portal of public services is dynamically developing in terms of expanding the list of services provided by spheres, life situations and departments. To solve the practical problems of the study, the authors used a set of general scientific methods: systematic, statistical and comparative analyses; expert interviews and pilot questionnaire survey. In the article, the authors consider the practice of the Volgograd region, where over the past few years the planned indicators of the federal program "Digital Economy of the Russian Federation" have been achieved, but in practice there are still a number of problems hindering the introduction of digital services in the region: an Internet network requires development in remote areas of the region, low computer literacy persists, especially among older age groups, which mainly constitute the category of those persons who prefer to personally apply for an appointment with social authorities, some services can still be obtained only at a personal reception, the introduction of a Unified state information base of social security is progressing slowly, which reduces the efficiency of document management in the system of digital provision of social services to citizens.

The article provides an analysis of the formation of the social services market in the Volgograd region since the adoption of a federal law that introduced fundamental changes in the field of social services, allowing non-profit organizations to act as full participants in the social services market. A review of domestic publications addressing key issues is presented: economic and managerial aspects of access of non-profit sector organizations to the social services market, infrastructure support, the formation of a state support system, successful regional practices. The role of non-governmental suppliers in the social services market is shown, the specifics of the modern institutional structure of the social services market are described. The current state of the social services market is characterized, the data of the report of the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia for 2018 on the implementation by the constituent entities of the Russian Federation of measures to ensure access to non-profit organizations to budgetary funds are presented. The main quantitative indicators of the social services market of the Volgograd region are highlighted. The results of a sociological study showed that the majority of the population does not use the services of non-profit organizations, the popularity of their services is low, and free services are most in demand. The possibilities of non-profit organizations when entering the social services market of the Volgograd region were identified: extensive experience in providing services, the availability of proven social technologies, targeted nature of assistance, customer focus. Despite the creation of conditions for expanding the access of non-governmental organizations to budget financing, there are barriers to accessing the social services market: delayed cost recovery when services are completed, economically unjustified tariffs, insufficient compensation to non-state suppliers, unnecessarily bureaucratic reporting procedure of non-profit organizations for services provided. To develop the demand and supply of non-profit organizations, it is necessary to inform the beneficiaries in more detail about the quality of the services provided, tariffs, increase the level of public confidence, introduce successful experience in other regions. Creating favorable social and economic conditions, consolidating the efforts of all interested parties can create an effective system of social services in the Volgograd region on the principles of interagency cooperation.

In difficult socio-economic conditions, studies are being updated to identify factors affecting the labor migration of young people, as well as studies focused on predicting the situation in regions with an unfavorable demographic situation. Labor migration is the result of the formation of new behaviors of young people studying and working, but the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has had a great impact on this process today. In the regions, conditions have been created for the organization of remote work, management processes are being optimized, etc. The purpose of this study is to identify the migration attitudes of young people in the Volgograd region, as well as to assess the impact of the development of remote forms of employment on the prospects of youth labor migration. The paper presents the data of a sociological study conducted in 2021 by a mass survey of young people aged 18 to 35 years living in the Volgograd region (quota sample, n=576). As well as data from an expert survey of employer representatives and specialists involved in the implementation of the federal project “Personnel for the Digital Economy”, strategic objectives for the development of remote technologies were identified and the impact of digitalization on the adaptation of young people in the labor market was assessed. The study made it possible to systematize the conditions in which young people are ready for labor migration, as well as the prospects for reducing the outflow of young people to large cities. The results obtained in the course of the study will serve as a basis for further search for resources to stabilize migration flows in the region and create conditions for self-realization of young professionals in the labor market.

At the present stage, the development of scientific tools that allow for a qualitative and independent assessment of the current demographic situation and the socio-political measures taken to strengthen, stabilize and develop it is particularly relevant. The efforts of Federal, regional and local authorities aimed at increasing population reproduction, increasing the birth rate, reducing mortality, increasing life expectancy, and supporting young families and families with children should be publicized, developed as public initiatives, and resonated with the population. The content analysis method as a method of qualitative and quantitative study of information sources, which implies search, registration, numerical processing of semantic units of analysis, interpretation of the obtained data, and has successfully proven itself in the sociopolitical sphere, can be used for demographic research, including identifying the level of loyalty of public institutions (including the media) to the demographic policy. In the context of media policy, it is important that information related to the demographic situation, especially in Federal and regional media, be objective, reliable, and consistent. This article presents a method of content analysis developed for the purpose of analyzing Federal and regional media in Russia on the issues of reflecting the demographic situation and taking measures of demographic policy. The article provides an overview of the research tools: sample, indicators and keywords, instructions for research and analysis, units of analysis (revealing demographic problems in the Russian Federation, measures to support families at the birth of children, assistance to the older generation and other demographic problems in the mass media).