INFORMATION SPACE AS A NEW FORM OF REALITY: PHILOSOPHICAL REFLECTION ON THE DIGITAL ERA

Abstract

The article presents a philosophical reflection on the phenomenon of the information space as a new form of reality that defines civilizational development in the digital era. It is shown that the information space transforms from a technical phenomenon into an ontological environment of human existence, where technological, social, cultural, and political dimensions interact. The evolution of the concept is analyzed – from the cybernetic ideas of N. Wiener and the information theory of C. Shannon to the concepts of the information society developed by M. Castells, D. Bell, and Y. Masuda. The paper reveals the impact of the information space on communication, education, economy, politics, culture, and ethics. It emphasizes that the digital environment generates new models of labor, education, and civic participation while simultaneously producing risks of manipulation, loss of privacy, and crises of identity. The study highlights that the information space functions as a field of interaction between freedom and control, openness and danger, and becomes the space for the formation of a new type of human being – homo informaticus.