Problems and Issues of Humanitarian Policy Representation in the Era of Digital Uncertainty

Abstract

The article considers the problems of representation of the humanitarian policy achievements of the Russian Federation in contemporary fragmented information space conditions. Modern digital reality imposes multiple structural limitations on the objectives of the state’s humanitarian activities abroad, expressed in the problems of forming the country’s image through online platforms that actively hinder Russian soft power. The article aims to establish basic scenarios of response to the existing limitations in humanitarian policy representation. The methodological basis is scenario analysis with elements of agent-based modeling in describing the activities of digital platforms in the information moderation process. The paper explores the problems of terminological pluralism associated with “humanitarian policy,” as well as ideological and normative constraints imposed on Russian humanitarian activities. In addition, the paper describes the mechanisms of digital interference of online platforms in the information space and models three basic and one additional response scenario to such challenges. The basic scenarios include an alternative information space formation, convergence with the information space of other countries, and restoration of status in the global space. Each scenario has its own reputational and technical costs, partly addressed by the additional scenario based on less widespread but relatively independent information platforms. The main conclusion of this article is the need to develop a balanced approach within the framework of Russian humanitarian and information policy, taking into account the costs of all basic scenarios and relying on the current correlation between technical capabilities and defined objectives