The Impact of the Digital Interaction Network on the Future Professionals Behavior

Abstract

The paper focuses on the social and psychological factors of human-computer interactions in students' preparation for responsible engineering activities. Engineering in a digital society requires computer skills in any professional field. The authors emphasize the need for a systematic analysis of the students' readiness to predict real situations, to make responsible decisions and to evaluate their consequences independently. The study of factors influencing the behavioral deviancy of future specialists is especially important within the framework of applied computer ethics, which emphasizes the potential negative aspects of the interactive virtual environment impact on perception of information while making responsible decisions. The digital and professional competence combination implies the socio-psychological context inclusion in the assessment of the possibility of introducing and future use of technological innovations into network environment, taking into account the consequences that lead to the transformation of mental and behavioral actions. The authors' goals are determined by the analysis of the digital interactions' influence on shaping a prospective readiness of a future specialist for adequate professional activity within complex conditions of the modern info sphere. The empiric study was conducted utilizing focus groups and online survey of a representative sample of the St. Petersburg Polytechnic University students.