Political, mental, cultural, and customary features of communities in the postmodern and metamodern era

This article is devoted to the analysis of the change in the paradigms of thinking of communities and nations through the prism of modernist, postmodernist and metamodernist philosophies and concepts, each of which, at a given time, occupies dominant positions in Western society, reflecting the complexity of the combination of various socio-cultural and political factors, their interaction and the ultimate consequences for public administration and the lives of citizens. In order to achieve this goal, the first part examines two transitions, each of which has directly or indirectly affected global demographics. The socio-economic transition describes the change in the way communities live due to the transition from agrarian-rural to industrial-urban and post-industrial production. The second transition is associated with the move from the modern to the postmodern era and the transformation of the value orientations of Western society, which was accompanied by the deconstruction of metanarratives. The second part outlines the conceptual foundations of the simulacrum phenomenon, analysing the specific features of its forms and models of functioning depending on the regime established in the country: dictatorial, in which the simulacrum requires constant support by terror and repression, and democratic, where, in order to preserve the integrity of democratic institutions, the authorities are forced to build their information policy on the basis of empirical data that can be verified by the population. The article identifies the reasons for the new transition of Western society into the metamodern era, the phenomenon of oscillation between the ideas of modernity and postmodernity, which has led to the emergence of pragmatic naivety and new sincerity. Combined with the restoration of myth as a sign rather than an essence, these factors create cultural conditions for the emergence of a demand for a new type of political actors who, in a decentralised information field, are forced to seek new approaches to interacting with citizens. The analysis resulted in the formulation of the main challenges facing the world’s states today, in particular, in ensuring national security against the threats of disinformation and the resulting disintegration of society. The main directions and means that governments should use to adequately respond to the challenges faced by society have been formulated.