Violation of critical perception in society: problems and prospects

the article examines the phenomenon of declining critical perception in contemporary society. The purpose is to identify key factors that undermine individuals’ ability to assess information critically and to outline prospective measures for its recovery. The methodological framework combines a comparative content analysis of media discourse (2019-2024), a sociological survey (n = 1,784 across eight Russian regions) and Spearman correlation analysis. Three interrelated clusters of factors were found: cognitive overload, algorithmic personalization, and erosion of educational filters. The sample’s Critical Perception Index deteriorated from 0.67 to 0.42 (2005–2024; p < 0.01). A strong negative correlation (? = –0.71) emerged between feed personalization intensity and respondents’ ability to detect manipulative messages. Scientific novelty lies in an integrated model describing the interaction between digital environments and cognitive biases and refining the dynamics of their influence. Practical significance is provided by a multi-level strategy: institutional regulations (fact-checking, algorithmic transparency), media- and infoliteracy educational programs, and individual cognitive self-regulation techniques. Future research should validate the model in cross-cultural settings and assess the effectiveness of the proposed measures. This study is important because existing works mainly describe individual aspects of the problem (for example, fake news or cognitive biases), leaving out their complex interaction in the dynamics of the digital environment. It should be noted that the combined effect of cognitive overload, algorithmic personalization and the erosion of educational filters statistically significantly (p <0.05) reduces individuals' ability to critically analyze information.

critical perception, media environment, cognitive biases, algorithmic personalization, digital culture, information security, media literacy, social influence