Role of Media in Addressing the Socialization Problems of the Younger Generation: The Case of Kazakhstan

Abstract

The article examines the cultural and educational mission of modern media related to the spiritual and cultural education of youth in Kazakhstan. Over the past two decades, the socialization problems of Kazakh youth have been removed from the state’s social policy agenda. Methods of comparative and complex analysis were applied in this study. To define acute youth problems, the study analyzed television projects and printed materials related to different periods of media activity in Kazakhstan. Several sociological measurements were used to reveal the needs of the television audience. The study defined the key socialization factors and institutions of young people. The article describes the role of media in establishing social standards of behavior, communication, and activity that directly affect the process of socialization. The study analyzes the activities of TV channels performing a cultural and educational function. The need to strengthen the editorial policy of media resources, focusing on socially significant issues with priority given to social and educational broadcasting, became an essential conclusion of the study. The results of the study allowed to compile an average portrait of the young generation, as well as to identify the key characteristics for the correction of life strategies.