Z-Inequality in the Context of the Formation of a Digital Society: Intergenerational Differences in the Perception of New Threats to Economic Security

Abstract

The presented work analyzes the peculiarities of the formation of modern intergenerational interaction and its impact on sustainable development. It should also be noted that the presented research can be used as a basis for the formation of consumer behavior under the conditions of digitalization. The rapid development of digital technologies, their penetration into all spheres of life led to the formation of the first digital generation in human history (Gen Z). The aim of the presented work is based on defining a new level of digital development and establishing the dependence of the development of new generations on the development of digital technologies. The use of the method of analysis, abstraction and synthesis, induction and deduction, as well as the system-structural method, the method of idealization made it possible to identify new forms of manifestation of inequality in the conditions of digitalization and establish characteristic manifestations of Z-inequality. Correlation and regression analysis was used to estimate the relationship between age, digital and economic indicators of countries. It is substantiated that Gen Z differs from other generations in its alienated attitude to the traditional value system and reorientation to post-material values, for which virtual reality combines the real and virtual worlds. The introduction of the “Z-inequality” categories into the scientific circulation is proposed, which helps to analyze the impact that digitalization processes provide on the formation and development of generations. Along with the politics and ideology that shape the causes of inequality, the impact of the digital divide increases, as access to modern information and digital technologies becomes a powerful source of inequality. As a result of the digital divide, digital inequality arises, unequal access to technology limits access to a significant number of goods. The importance of implementing national digitization strategies to ensure the competitiveness of national economies is substantiated. The research is based on categories of theoretical and empirical levels of knowledge. It was determined that despite the rapid spread of the digital economy, access to digital technologies remains asymmetric. Digitalization is most widespread in countries with a high and medium level of economic development that have completed the demographic transition. There is a deepening of the digital divide according to the criterion of fixed broadband Internet availability and rather convergence according to the availability of the general Internet. Practical implications mean that digitalization can become an efficient tool for enhancing accessibility of financial services, especially for youth.