The influence of the information environment on the forming of the ideal consumer

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of the formation of the modern socio-economic ecosystem and its impact on the development and socialization of the individual within the consumer society. There is an expansion and complication of the internal structure of consumption, which develops the theme of J. Baudrillard about the “simulacrum”. The influence of the information environment on existing social institutions was considered both in the traditional context and from the perspective of their rapid transformation. Its impact on society as a whole and on each individual is analyzed. A conclusion is made about the development of a new form of human social existence - the ideal consumer. It was found that the information environment plays a crucial role in the formation of a person’s personality, or, in this context, the process of forming a new generation of consumers with consumption patterns different from previous generations. Advertising can be a tool in this process. The main emphasis is made on shifting from the functions of informing to persuading a person to behave in the right way. The author describes the main mechanisms that contribute to the consistent and sustainable formation of the ideal consumer, as well as the role of information technology in wide dissemination of these trends. The author also notes the ambivalence of these phenomena and the need for their further study.