The article considers the theoretical aspects of mass consciousness and its forms, the essential characteristics of mass behavior, as a result of which the definition of this term is formulated and corrected. The authors  analyze the evolution of concepts of mass consciousness in historical retrospect and at the present stage, its features in the conditions of transition to the digital economy. A fresh look at the problem of mass manipulation in a digital society through various mechanisms is given, and the transformation of mass behavior in the 21st century is analyzed by comparison.