Transformation of Students’ Social Values in the Digital Era: A Library Based Phenomenological Study of Indonesian University Students
Keywords:
Digital citizenship, digital era, library-based phenomenology, moral reasoning, online identity, social education, social values, university students, value transformationAbstract
The rapid expansion of digital technology has significantly reshaped university students’ social values, interpersonal relationships, and moral reasoning. This library-based phenomenological study synthesizes findings from recent scholarly literature to examine how Indonesian university students reinterpret core social values such as empathy, respect, solidarity, and responsibility within digitally mediated environments. Drawing on theoretical and empirical studies, the research explores how digital platforms ranging from social media to algorithm-driven communication spaces influence the formation, negotiation, and transformation of students’ value orientations. The reviewed literature indicates that digital interactions often encourage more flexible and individualized interpretations of social values. Empathy becomes increasingly symbolic and mediated through digital expression; respect is shaped by online recognition norms; solidarity emerges through virtual support systems; and responsibility shifts toward self-regulation in largely unsupervised digital spaces. These synthesized insights highlight both opportunities and challenges for social education, emphasizing the need to strengthen digital literacy, ethical awareness, and reflective citizenship among university students. The study concludes that educators must adapt pedagogical approaches to ensure value continuity while equipping students to navigate the moral complexities of contemporary digital life.
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