Modernization as a tool for the development of society: ideological, conceptual and methodological foundations

Abstract

The author considers the options for the development of modern society with the predominant role of 
mass consumption of material goods. Despite technological progress, serious social problems persist in the 21st century, 
including illiteracy, hunger, violence and conflict, indicating that true universal values have been replaced by material 
priorities. It is noted that the prevailing ideology of the consumer society today, being the result of the synthesis of the 
production of goods and services, is used as a way to artificially impose the identity of the individual and becomes a 
key factor in the economic development of Western countries. 
In the context of global climate change and new approaches to the use of information technologies, attention is 
focused on the need to modernise society in order to develop a trend towards creative humanistic development within 
the framework of traditional universal values. Modernisation is seen as a complex synergetic process that organically 
includes technological progress, social and economic changes, and cultural transformation. In March 2022, the 
President of the Republic of Kazakhstan presented a package of reforms aimed at renewing social values and improving 
relations between citizens, which is a step towards overcoming social rifts and creative transformation of values. In this 
regard, the importance of recognising and excluding possible substitutions in the emerging ideology of building a new 
society is noted.
The purpose of the study is to analyse the ideological, conceptual and methodological foundations of the concept of 
modernisation, taking into account the current trends in the development of society, in order to predict future changes 
that can lead to both creative and destructive results. The article also discusses changes in the understanding of society's 
development and the importance of modernisation as a tool and ideology of transformation aimed at improving the 
quality of life and the formation of moral values.