SUMMARY
The transformation of society during the transition to a new stage of civilizational development is accompanied by dichotomous phenomena. Against the background of globalization processes, a decrease in the role of the national, associated with numbers and the development of global network digital communications, there is a sharp increase in ethnic and religious factors, the actualization of historical symbols as elements of human identity and the collective identity of a nation or country. This phenomenon is considered from the standpoint of postmodernism, where the object of the past is simulated into the subjective perception of a simulacrum in the consciousness of a person in modern society. We criticize metamodernism, proving the symbolic nature of oscillation. The appeal to the past in modernity is nothing but the construction of traditions, rituals, customs in new conditions, under the influence of the present, that is, the simulation of current economic and political, socio-cultural processes. The formation of identity is considered both from the side of the external influence of the institutions of power and management and the elite, and from the side of adaptation of human consciousness that occurs under the influence of the transformations of society. Institutions of power and government contribute to the creation and dissemination of simulacra of historical, ethnic, religious constructs. This allows the upper strata of society to form the collective identity they require, to homogenize society, affirming a single symbolism, common values for all residents. A modern person, for the reasons considered in the article, strives for multiple identification, which is due to the desire to strengthen communication with a multitude of communities that are formed on the basis of a commonality of symbols, values, codes. Experiencing existential fear of a digital society, a person seeks shelter in the images of the past, in the simulation of the stasis of his contemporary society based on the symbols of history, religion, and ethnicity. The second reason is the desire to enter the largest number of communities, staying in which allows you to strengthen the quality and quantity of communications, increase the ability to adapt, and reduce the level of risk. The specific features of the younger generation Z are considered separately. Born with a “gadget in hand”, digital natives are initially adapted in a digital society, and therefore their perception is somewhat different than that of the older generation. The cited research data of the authors shows significant specific differences in the perception of the values of previous eras among the younger generation, which allows us to hope for a weakening of the tendencies for the formation of identity based on archaic symbols in the near future.