Abstract:

Scientists in various fields of knowledge note a change in traditional values ​​in society, including in the field of education. Therefore, the study of changes in the value-semantic sphere of youth is an important task. In the early 2000s, the idea of ​​lifelong learning in Russia was something new and even exotic since the priority was to solve everyday issues related to impoverished living conditions. Today in Russia, the situation is changing. It is becoming fashionable to strive for lifelong learning. We can trace these changes in value preferences through the messages of youth opinion leaders that they broadcast to their users. Opinion leaders are those persons who, on the one hand, are sensitive to the needs of their audience, including value ones. On the other hand, they are personalities whose attitudes and behavior change traditional attitudes and offer completely new or transformed ones.

The purpose of our study was to identify and study the value messages of opinion leaders - bloggers regarding education, professional development, and public institutions. We assumed that their statements, activity, and image would carry calls for lifelong learning, leveling ​​the importance of higher education and a stable job in the profession. Thus, they form new life meanings for young people. Content analysis, chi-square, and cluster analysis were used.

The study consisted of two stages. At the first stage, 1649 young people were interviewed to identify opinion leaders. At the second stage, video content offered by opinion leaders to determine value messages were analyzed. At this stage, 546 hours of content were released over the past three months (August-October 2021). In addition, the channel's content and interviews that opinion leaders gave to each other were analyzed. Lifelong Learning messages are the dominant (75%) among youth leaders' messages. They have an overall high level of coherence (χ2 = 0.678) and a high level of coherence between female and male leaders (χ2 = 0.791). Cluster analysis identified two groups of messages related to lifelong learning. The first group consists of messages concerning the importance of continuous education for professional development and self-development. The example is: "It is important not to stop. You need to develop in the profession by acquiring new knowledge". The second group consists of messages concerning personal characteristics that provide this need. The example is: "It is important not to be afraid to try something new, to be ready for a new experience." The study results showed that youth opinion leaders view lifelong learning as a lifestyle.

Keywords:

Digital opinion leaders, lifelong learning.