Public administrative activity in the conditions of contemporary uncertainty: information and communication aspect

Abstract

Problem setting. One of the main problems of modern times is the existing huge information flow and the lack of correct, true, and timely information, which causes uncertainty in the process of making management decisions. Such a situation can lead to the inefficiency of public management activities in the conditions of modern uncertainty, a decrease in the level of public support and a decrease in trust in power structures. In the conditions of modern uncertainty, the social significance of management activities and the responsible attitude of all social subjects to their official and public duties are growing. Highlighting previously unsettled parts of the general problem. The analysis of the latest research in the field of public administration shows the significant attention of the scientific community to the issue of establishing effective communicative interaction in conditions of uncertainty, which is associated with the emergence of various types of crisis situations. However, these issues require further in-depth study in the conditions of acute challenges and threats of war and new approaches to public management activity, in particular its information and communication aspect. The purpose of the article. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the expediency of the development of the information and communication aspect of public management activities to obtain a balanced and adapted management decision in the conditions of modern uncertainties. Paper main body. In the conditions of modern challenges and threats, public management activity is accompanied by uncertainty in its various manifestations, as well as non-standard, high dynamism and multi-criteria when making management decisions. The expediency of the development of the information and communication aspect of public management activity with the aim of obtaining a balanced and adapted management decision in the conditions of modern uncertainties is substantiated. A feature of modern challenges and threats that generate uncertainty and erroneous management decisions is unreliability of information, direct misinformation, and ignorance of how to behave in existing situations. In conditions of uncertainty, established communication links and information flows are disrupted, and new circumstances require information that is relevant in terms of content, effectiveness, and volume. The changes caused by the war also affected media consumption in Ukrainian society. Compared to the pre-war period, its structure has changed, social networks have become the most popular source of information. The main methods of disinformation used in war are fakes, propaganda, manipulation, incomplete information, bots. It has been established that in the conditions of modern uncertainty, the social significance of management activities and the responsible attitude of all social subjects to their official and public duties are growing. With the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, the need for protection of power structures, officials and citizens in the information and communication space grew even more. It is about both cyber protection and resistance to disinformation influences. The key skills everyone needs in wartime are the ability to build their own digital defenses, maintain emotional and psychological resilience, and critically perceive information. It is argued that in the conditions of war there is a need to increase the level of information hygiene and media literacy of the society in order to develop its own culture of safe information consumption. Conclusions of the research. Russia’s massive invasion of Ukraine accelerated the recognition of the need to integrate media literacy into the national security system, both by key actors of public-management activities and non-state sectors. This requires the development of practical integration mechanisms both at the level of projects and at the level of the regulatory and legal framework. Media literacy should remain part of the security policy in the post-war period as well. It should contribute to the growth of cognitive stability of society, and therefore requires a new integration approach – a combination of media, digital, psychological literacy, and info-hygiene with the aim of forming an appropriate adaptive zone of information and communication comfort. Making management decisions in conditions of uncertainty will depend on the correctness and clarity of the establishment of effective information and communication interaction by the subjects of public management activity.