=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-3090/paper41
|storemode=property
|title=Digital Volunteering in Representations in Youth
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3090/paper41.pdf
|volume=Vol-3090
|authors=Sergey Molchanov,Olga Almazova,Nataliya Poskrebysheva
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/ims2/MolchanovAP21
}}
==Digital Volunteering in Representations in Youth==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3090/paper41.pdf
Digital Volunteering in Representations in Youth
Sergey V. Molchanova, Olga V. Almazovaa and Nataliya N. Poskrebyshevaa
a
Lomonosov Moscow State University, Mohovaya str. 11-9, Moscow, 125009, Russia
Abstract
Youth is the age period of active search for own position in society on the bases of wide
opportunities of separated choices and social role testing. The volunteering activity as the
form of helping behavior in the period of self-determination can be the source of self-
knowledge and self-realization that can compensate the risks of complicated social and
professional choices. The popularity of volunteering activity grows in modern Russian
society, particularly in youth. The digital volunteering became a new form of helping
behavior that can be useful and demanded by young people. The goal of our study was to
investigated the digital volunteering representation in youth. The data included 202 young
people aged from 14 to 23 years. The analyses allowed to define representations about forms
and content of digital volunteering, its advantages and disadvantages. The role of motivation
for volunteering in attitude to that activity are discussed.
Keywords 1
Digital volunteering, internet, helping behavior, motivation, youth
1. Introduction
The processes of self-determination and self-realization of modern Russian youth occurs in period
of big opportunities and risks: the high level of social uncertainty and inconsistency of system of
social norms and values, huge information flow in global informational space. Modern Russian
society has high level of transitivity: on the one hand we observe huge unpredictability of social
processes, their instability and sharp changes in combination of uncertainty of direction and content of
potential changes; on the other hand, new forms of social connections and relations develops and it
provides the plurality of space for life choices [1; 2; 3; 4].
The period of youth is considered as a period of active entrance to adulthood in the position of full
partnership with social world, as a time for transition from developing model of priority appropriation
of social-cultural experience to developing model focused on creative and productive being [5]. The
age-psychological specificity of youth appears in active search for own position in society on the
bases of wide opportunities of separated choices and social role testing [6; 7; 8]. The volunteering
activity in the period of self-determination can be the source of self-knowledge and self-realization
that can compensate the risks of complicated social and professional choices.
The volunteering activity becomes more popular and common in modern Russian society.
Complicated social-economic conditions of existence of some social groups in Russian Federation,
nature and technological catastrophes, arousing attention to ecological questions creates conditions
and space for self-realization in sphere of altruistic help to people in need. Active development of
institute of non-profit organizations, appearance of legal status of volunteering according to the
Federal Law about the volunteering activity singed in 2018 provides the increasing interest to heling
behavior in society, particularly in youth. We can observe the developing interest to volunteering
activity in youth community.
The role of participation in volunteering activity for somatic and psychological well-being is the
subject of numerous investigations in psychology, sociology and other social sciences. The
IMS 2021 - International Conference "Internet and Modern Society", June 24-26, 2021, St. Petersburg, Russia
EMAIL: s-molch2001@mail.ru (A. 1)
ORCID: 0000-0001-5147-3551 (A. 1)
© 2021 Copyright for this paper by its authors.
Use permitted under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
CEUR Workshop Proceedings (CEUR-WS.org)
IMS-2021. International Conference “Internet and Modern Society” 411
longitudinal study showed that volunteering activity correlates with good level of somatic health,
moreover volunteering involvement influence on increasing level of somatic health [9;10]. There are
evidences for correlation between volunteering activity and life satisfaction, self-esteem, happiness
feelings, lower chance for depression and distress emotions, higher level of moral development [11;
12; 13; 14; 15; 16; 17]. The hypothesis of cumulative effect that volunteering activity of people with
the desires, abilities, personal features, values and meanings adequate for helping behavior influences
on common level of psychological and physical health was proved [18]. The theory of reasoned
actions propose to analyze the determination of behavior from the perspective of two main factors:
attitudes and subjective social norms [19]. The volunteers often have the attitudes to help with the
supporting social atmosphere for norms of prosocial behavior. The results showed the importance of
attitudes and norms factors for participation in volunteering activity of non-government organizations
[20]. The addition of third factor: perceived behavioral control from the model of planned behavior
help to estimate the probability to success in activity, for example volunteering actions [21,22]. The
high value of components of planned behavior predicts the high sustain of volunteering behavior [23]
The development of volunteering activity leads to appearance of new forms of volunteering: the
digital volunteering became a new form of helping behavior. There are some synonymic terms that
are used in literature: digital volunteering, virtual volunteering, online volunteering, cyber
volunteering, e-volunteering [24]. There are different definitions of digital volunteering that in most
general forms is regarded as any form of volunteering that can be realized in internet [25]. The
question of digital volunteering essence is very interesting and can be discussed from different
perspectives. On the one hand, digital volunteering can be regarded as a form of civil position that can
be easily changed for typical and traditional form of real-life volunteering activity. In that case
computer and internet can be considered simply as a tool that can be the only resource in some life
situations (for example in pandemic conditions with restrictions for life contact and movement). And
in life situation with no restrictions internet and computer ceased to be important tool and person can
easily realize life form of helping behavior. On the other hand, digital volunteering can be observed as
an independent reality. According to A.Toffler ideas the specificity of communication processes and
not the information itself becomes meaning foundation for development of new types of activity, in
particular volunteering [26]. Thereby we can classify volunteers that help in real life situations, online
volunteers and mixed form of volunteering when person can combine both forms depending on
circumstances [27]. Different advantages and disadvantages outcomes of internet and volunteering are
discussed in society [28].
The concrete form of helping behavior – helping behavior through internet – can be attractive for
wider circle of participations, primarily for youth audience. Informational socialization in youth leads
to development of new forms of identity, in particular virtual identity that seeks its realization,
especially in forms of internet activity [29]. The development of identity in social approved and
social useful forms of volunteering in internet space can increase self-esteem and support your
identity, including virtual identity. The role identity of volunteering predicts the involvement in that
prosocial behavior [30].
We analyzed main directions of digital volunteering. We suppose that several trends in digital
helping behavior can be depicted. The first one is the notification and mobilization of people for
giving different forms of help in “yere and now” situations with the internet resources (in particular in
crisis and emergence situations with low forecasting of potential changes). The second form is the
organization of meeting and discussion spaces to attract the attention of society to keen social
problems that must be solved in short- or middle- time perspective, including political activity. The
third forms of digital volunteering is the information analyses, including big data, with public
conclusions for potential realization of practical volunteering in future, including technical support of
coordination process of activity of different volunteering in internet space [31]. In this way digital
volunteering propose different forms of activities connected with interaction with people, analytic and
searching activity, technical questions. The requirements to technical skills to interact in digital
volunteering are quite simple – the basic computer skills are often enough for participation. The
simplicity and variety of concrete roles in digital volunteering allows participation of people with
different disabilities [32].
The analyses allow to depict main advantages of digital volunteering comparing to classic forms of
helping behavior. The digital volunteering can be anonymous and it is simple in regulation of
412 PART 2: Internet Psychology
participation intensity of helping [33]. There are comfortable conditions to choose the concrete form
and level of participation [34]. The level of social inequality decreases and it opens the wide
opportunities for self-realization with different level of motivation, health, and resources [35]. The
specific explosion of digital volunteering is happening [36]. The goal of volunteering are defined by
actual social changes in world. For example, period of epidemic restrictions in 2020 that changed the
possibilities for professional activity and self-realization increased the intensity of distant forms of
interaction and necessity to learn new technologies. digital volunteering becomes more and more
popular.
The volunteering activity is realized on free basis without material encouragement. The motivation
basis for volunteering participation is the goal of particular research. The analyses of volunteers
motivation showed that the level of freedom in situation of decision making about participation in
volunteering activity influence on future desire to be the member of helping community for youth
audience. The compulsion and pressure to participate decreases the desire and willingness for
volunteering in future. The feel of free choice of volunteering increases the desire to repeat those
forms of life activity [37; 38]. The prosocial form of volunteering can have different motivational
basis in its foundation. The externally observed and socially approved helping behavior can be
egoistic in some situations. There are different classifications of motives for volunteering activity.
The foundation of volunteering activity ca be altruism, empathy, feeling of subject significancy, need
to be useful for others, affiliation feeling and desire for new contacts [39]. Nowadays more wide
space of motives is observed for volunteering activity. Accepting the special role of altruism there can
be personal motives of volunteers focused on yourself: self-realization, personal grow, expansion of
social contacts, compensative motives such as self-esteem compensation, decreasing the feeling of
loneliness, desire for practical experience [40]. Some authors define dualism of actuality of altruistic
and egoistic motives at the same time [41]. There are classifications that defines personal, social and
pragmatic motives linked with indirect economical effect and benefit [42; 43]. Some authors propose
the idea that “pure” altruism doesn’t exist and will be connected with professional carrier
expectations, love to games, high level of life activity, social relations [44; 45; 46]. There are models
that pretend to unit different groups of motivations – for example, model ABCE (Affiliation, Beliefs
and Attitudes, Career, Egoism) [47]. The functional motivation model in research of volunteering
activity defines six motivational functions: belief function, source of competencies function, social
function, resource for career possibility’s function, defensive compensation function, source for
development function [48; 49]. The belief function is connected with the possibility to express
significant prosocial beliefs and values linked with altruistic and humanistic attitudes. Source of
competencies function is realized in ability to develop and support skills and qualities necessary in the
field of helping behavior. Social function presents the possibility to develop social relations, find new
contact and enter new social groups and communities that are interesting personally for volunteers.
Resource for career possibility’s function resource for career possibilities function is regarded as
search for possibilities for potential work or employer acquaintance. Defensive compensation function
helps to decrease the level of own negative feelings, including Ego representation due to participation
in volunteering activity. As the source for development function the authors define positive influence
on self-esteem, self-perception and self-respect by helping behavior [50]. The proposed model of
Volunteer Function motivations allows to describe main groups of motivations in helping behavior.
The investigation of different social volunteering groups shows that consistent and frequent
participation in volunteering activity are more often correlates with Belief, Source of competencies
functions [51; 52].
2. The Goal of the Study and Methods
The goal of our study was to investigated the digital volunteering representation in youth. We
investigated the perceiving forms of digital volunteering activity, its advantages and disadvantages.
We also study the peculiarities of motivation for volunteering activity. Motivation defines the
behavior and representation and attitudes to world and happening events. The volunteering motivation
influence in representation of digital volunteering activity. The hypothesis of the study was the idea
that volunteering motivation correlates with different digital volunteering representations: more vivid
IMS-2021. International Conference “Internet and Modern Society” 413
volunteering motivation in youth correlates with more clear representations about forms, advantages
and disadvantages of volunteering activity.
The data consisted of 202 young people from schools, institutes and universitates in Moscow,
Russia. The analyzed group aged from 14 to 23 years old (M=16.7, SD=2.3) with 54% of men and
46% of women.
Two questionnaires were used in our investigation. The first one was the Volunteer Functions
Inventory based on functional motivation theory. The questionnaire was proposed by Clary and
colleagues in 1998 and is aimed to estimate the reasons for participation in volunteering activity. It
contains the following motivational functions: defensive compensation function, belief function,
resource for career possibility’s function, social function, source of competencies function, source for
development function [53]. Translated forms of VFI are used in research in different countries [54;
55] The investigators note good psychometric characteristics of the questionnaire [56], the possibility
to use with different age groups [57]. The VFI was used in Russian investigation for the first time.
The translation of VFI was done by several independent experts, after the coordinated translation
version the reversed translation was done with subsequent comparison of original version and last
version with double translation. The analysis of internal validity of VFI components showed
satisfying results: the Alpha-Cronbach coefficient varies from 0.78 to 0.88 that is higher than the
required threshold 0.75.
The second questionnaire was present by groups of open questions that were focused to define the
representation about the content of digital volunteering activity. It contains 10 open questions divided
into 3 groups: the understanding of content of digital volunteering, the experience of own
participation in volunteering activity, the description of advantages and disadvantages of digital
volunteering. The content analysis helped to define main groups of answers on these spheres.
3. The Results
The analyses of representations about possibilities and forms of digital volunteering shows the
following. Firstly, we investigated the informational orientation about the possibilities of digital
volunteering and knowledge about digital volunteering forms. The group of open questions was used
with the common idea – what is the digital volunteering? The content analysis allowed to define 54
different questions that we united in more general categories. The results are presented in Table 1.
Table 1
Representations about digital volunteering in youth
Representations about digital volunteering % from the answers
digital volunteering – use of internet to realize different forms 44.4
of activity by yourself and your colleagues: webinars, education
through internet, psychological help.
Common definition of digital volunteering as altruistic distant 22.2
help
digital volunteering as the help in orientation in internet space, 18.5
development of computer skills
digital volunteering as the source for information about 9.3
different forms of help, supporting projects and financial
support
no idea about digital volunteering 5.6
The analysis of distribution of open questions showed that up to half on our subjects perceive
digital volunteering as the altruistic helping behavior with the use of internet and other different audio
and video resources of communication used for meaningful activity. Young men named such forms of
digital volunteering as conducting free webinars, educational activity, psychological help through
Zoom, Skype and other audio and video resources. About 20% of subjects explaining the content of
414 PART 2: Internet Psychology
digital volunteering mentioned old people as the main group that needed help in educational context,
getting acquainted and developing computer skills. At the same time a big group of subjects has
problems in content understanding of goals of digital volunteering: 27,8% gave very common
definition or refused to name the aim of digital helping behavior. The content analysis of
informational orientation about the possibilities of digital volunteering showed that in spite of specific
social experience of communication limits and vivid need for help for some social and age groups the
youth representations are often diffused. The vivid understanding of digital volunteering content is
typical not for all subjects.
We analyzed the peculiarities of volunteering motivation of our subjects. The Table 2 present the
average means of distribution of preference in volunteering motivation.
Table 2
The mean distribution of motivation functions to volunteering.
Standard
Function Mean
deviation
Defensive compensation 3.48 1.44
function
Belief function 5.44 1.22
Resource for career 3.85 1.36
possibility’s function
Social function 4.02 1.39
Source of competencies 5.15 1.35
function
Source for development 4.44 1.42
function
The belief and source of competencies functions are the most important motivation resources to
volunteering for youth. The less important are defensive compensation and social functions. The
correlation analysis between different motivation functions showed the significant correlations
between all functions (correlation coefficient Spearman with values from 0.344 to 0.769, p < 0.001
for all pairs of functions). Significant correlations of all components demonstrate the internal unity of
the construct but at the same time shows the lack of motivation function differentiation for subjects.
The cluster analyses (method K-means) on the basis of VFI results we defined 3 groups of
subjects. Table 3 present the centers of clusters. We found that there are significant differences for all
scales of VFI for subjects from different clusters (Kruskal-Wallis criteria for independent groups,
p<0.001).
Table 3
The clusters centers (types) of motivation to volunteering.
Function 1 type 2 type 3 type
Defensive compensation 5.0 3.4 1.8
function
Belief function 6.5 5.4 4.2
Resource for career 4.9 3.8 2.5
possibility’s function
Social function 5.3 4.0 2.3
Source of competencies 6.4 5.2 3.4
function
Source for development 5.9 4.4 2.6
function
% of subjects 28.7 49.5 21.8
IMS-2021. International Conference “Internet and Modern Society” 415
1 type (28.7%). Subjects in that group estimate highly all motivational functions of volunteering.
We can name that group as group of “active volunteering”.
2 type (49.5%). Subjects from that group have very smooth profile for volunteering functions most
esteems are average. At the same time volunteering as resource for career possibilities and source for
development is evaluated not lower that by subjects from 1 type group. We can name that group as
“pragmatic volunteering”.
3 type (21.8%). All functions are evaluated lower than in both previous groups. We can name that
group “passive volunteering”.
We defined the level of experience in real volunteering activity of our subjects with different types
of motivation to volunteering. 74.5% of data have the experience in volunteering activity, and,
25.5% no. But last year – the pandemic year – was not active for them -only 36.2% took part in
altruistic helping behavior and 63.8% didn’t. We analyzed the correlation between real volunteering
experience and types of motivation to volunteering. The results are present in Table 4.
Table 4
Distribution of subjects with and without volunteering experience in groups with different types of
motivation to volunteering
volunteering experience volunteering experience for last
year
yes no yes no
1 type 90.0% 10.0% 30.0% 70.0%
2 type 83.3% 16.7% 50.0% 50.0%
3 type 46.2% 53.8% 15.4% 84.6%
Total 74.5% 25.5% 36.2% 63.8%
We can observe that subjects from group “passive volunteering” have the lowest volunteering
experience comparing with both groups – “active volunteering” and “pragmatic volunteering”. The
analyses of volunteering experience in last year shows that “pragmatic volunteering” were most active
in life. The main conclusion is the fact that active volunteering” and “pragmatic volunteering” groups
are more involved in real volunteering activity and they have the understanding of motivation to
participate in helping behavior.
Let’s estimate the specify of representations about digital volunteering among different groups
with different types of motivation to volunteering. The Table 5 present the results.
The analysis shows that representation about digital volunteering as activity intended to realize
different forms of activity by yourself and your colleagues: webinars, education through internet,
psychological help) is more typical for “active volunteering” and “pragmatic volunteering” groups.
Common definition of digital volunteering as altruistic distant help is typical for “passive
volunteering” group.
The orientation in concrete volunteering organizations in internet is rather low: 68.1% of subjects
didn’t name any of them, 21.3% called only 1-2 internet addresses, 10.6% – 3-4 sites. The most
popular volunteering organizations among youth are groups that realize helping behavior for keen
social human problems (namely, Lisa Alert, Help fund by Habensky, Rejected were named by 39.3%
of subjects) and animals problems (namely, Greenpeace, Peta, White tooth were named by 35.3% of
subjects). Specialized site with opportunities to search for volunteering place were named by 25% of
subjects.
The analysis of advantages and disadvantages of digital volunteering was done. Table 6 present the
described advantages of digital volunteering. The subjects often named more than one category, as the
result the summering percent of answers is more than 100%.
The analysis of answers shows that young people are orientated in advantages of digital
volunteering and are focused of wider opportunities in mobility of help and chances to help different
people that can be far away (examples: “Can help everyone nevertheless how far the person is”, “Can
help people all over the world”, “Higher mobility and availability to all people with internet”) and
significant time economy (examples: “save volunteering time and increase multitasking”, “ You need
416 PART 2: Internet Psychology
less time for search”, “Digital volunteering needs less time and can be realized in time when the
volunteer want”). The subjects also mentioned that digital volunteering becomes more available as for
those who need help and for helpers themselves (“some people can’t be real life volunteers due to
health restrictions and mobility limits, due to lack of special education and deficit of special skills (if
you work with old people or small children),” the digital volunteering gives them the chance to realize
their goals”). The results of analysis of distribution on named advantages of digital volunteering for
groups with different types of motivation to volunteering are presented in Table 7.
Table 5
Distribution of representations about digital volunteering among different groups with different
types of motivation to volunteering.
Representations about digital 1 type 2 type 3 type
volunteering yes no yes no yes no
digital volunteering – use of internet
to realize different forms of activity
by yourself and your colleagues: 70.0% 30.0% 54.2% 45.8% 30.8% 69.2%
webinars, education through
internet, psychological help)
Common definition of digital
volunteering as altruistic distant 20.0% 80.0% 29.2% 70.8% 46.2% 53.8%
help
digital volunteering as the help in
orientation in internet space, 20.0% 80.0% 16.7% 83.3% 23.1% 76.9%
development of computer skills
digital volunteering as the source
for information about different
10.0% 90.0% 8.3% 91.7% 15.4% 84.6%
forms of help, supporting projects
and financial support
No idea about digital volunteering 0.0% 100.0% 8.3% 91.7% 7.7% 92.3%
Table 6
Advantages of digital volunteering in youth
Arguments for advantages of digital volunteering % of subjects named that argument
The spread of opportunities and increasing mobility. 38.3
Time economy 38.3
The opportunity for bigger volume to help/ higher
50.1
possibility for help in specific conditions
The distribution shows that argument “The spread of opportunities and increasing mobility”,
“Time economy” are more typical for group of “active volunteering” than for other motivational
groups.
The analysis of disadvantages of digital volunteering in youth allowed to define 4 categories of
typical answers. The subjects often named more than one category, as the result the summering
percent of answers is more than 100%. Most popular categories are the absence of live
communication and interaction that you get in real life, the significant constriction of types of
volunteering activity, non-material product/result and difficulties in realization of volunteering
activity due to the lack of technical means. The results are present in Table 8.
IMS-2021. International Conference “Internet and Modern Society” 417
Table7
The distribution of advantages of digital volunteering for groups with different types of motivation
to volunteering
Advantages 1 type 2 type 3 type
yes no yes no yes no
The spread of opportunities
50.0% 50.0% 37.5% 62.5% 30.8% 69.2%
and increasing mobility
Time economy 50.0% 50.0% 41.7% 58.3% 23.1 76.9%
The opportunity for bigger
volume to help/ higher
40.0% 60.0% 54.2% 45.8% 53.8% 46.2%
possibility for help in specific
conditions
Table 8
Disadvantages of digital volunteering in youth
% of subjects named that
Arguments for disadvantages of digital volunteering
argument
The absence of live communication and interaction. 46.4
The constriction of types of volunteering activity 25.0
Nonmaterial product/result 7.1
The lack of technical means 7.1
Other 14.3
The analysis of answers about disadvantages of digital volunteering shows that youth auditoria feel
lack of live communication and interaction in helping behavior, the absence of contact between
volunteer and needy – up to half of responds describe the problem as “no personal communication,
“tactile” support, that often is even more important than any other”, “contact is weaker than in
situation of live communication when you have more opportunities to realize it”, “ in virtual
communication you can forge the emotions”. Some subjects mentioned the constriction of types of
volunteering activity in digital space (examples: “the variety of types of volunteering activity tapers”,
“Some volunteering can be realized as a physical help for needy (to take a work with dogs from
shelter, help people in hospice, feed the people). “Internet doesn’t give you that opportunity”, “Digital
volunteering can realize psychological support but not physical help”). The nonmaterial result of
digital volunteering also can be regarded as disadvantage (examples: “no feeling that your do
something significant and vivid”, “don’t see people you help”) and technical problems (“the internet
delays”, “ dependence from the technical devices – no signal, no devices – no chance to help”, “the
quality of help can vary from technical devices”, “not all people have technical devices”).
Table 9
The distribution of disadvantages of digital volunteering for groups with different types of
motivation to volunteering
Disadvantages 1 type 2 type 3 type
yes no yes no yes no
The absence of live
60.0% 40.0% 62.5% 37.5% 38.5% 61.5%
communication and interaction.
The constriction of types of
30.0% 70.0% 33.3% 66.7% 30.8% 69.2%
volunteering activity
Nonmaterial product/result 10.0% 90.0% 8.3% 91.7% 0.0% 100.0%
The lack of technical means 0.0% 100.0% 12.5% 87.5% 7.7% 92.3%
Other 10.0% 90.0% 12.5% 87.5% 23.1% 76.9%
418 PART 2: Internet Psychology
The distribution on disadvantages of digital volunteering for groups with different types of
motivation to volunteering are presented in Table 9.
The absence of live communication and interaction as the disadvantage is more important for
subjects from groups of “active volunteers” and “pragmatic volunteers”. That can be connected with
specific motivation of volunteers from these groups – career possibilities, importance for social and
development motivation.
4. The Discussion
Our results showed that the informational orientation in possibilities of digital volunteering in
Russian youth is rather low – more than a quarter of subjects showed very vague perception of digital
volunteering forms and practices. In spite of high involvement of modern youth audience in internet
the opportunities for prosocial activities are not vivid for them. High level of advertising of digital
volunteering in internet doesn’t have the real recoil. The “digital natives” or so called “generation Y”
have higher competence in internet use [58]. They are presumably more ready for internet prosocial
behavior but in reality the engagement in volunteering behavior is more complicated. We also found
out that the orientation in concrete volunteering organizations in internet is low – 68% of subjects
didn’t named any internet addresses in spite of the fact that many of them has the experience of
volunteering activity. The analysis of real practice in other research defines the preferred forms of
volunteering activity. The engagement in volunteering activity is higher for offline volunteers and
mixed group combining offline and online volunteering activities. The pure digital volunteering is less
popular for all age groups, including age group from 15 to 34 years old [59]. Our sample has a good
level of experience in volunteering activity (74.5%) but the representation about real forms of digital
volunteering were not so vivid. The analysis of volunteering motivations showed correlation with
deepness of representations about digital volunteering. “Active volunteering” and “pragmatic
volunteering” groups have more concrete and detailed understanding of forms and content of digital
volunteering.
The understanding of advantages and disadvantages of digital volunteering also shows some
interesting findings. For analysis of advantages the answers can be divided into two groups:
advantage focuses for those who need help and advantages for volunteers themselves. At least 83,8%
of subjects mention the possibility to choose comfortable time and place for help, that seems to be
more secure for personal time and resource organization. Only 16,2% of subjects are focused only on
advantages for people that need help with advantage focus on availability to help those who are far
away, alone and have some activity limits. No differences for different motivation groups were found.
The analysis of disadvantages of digital volunteering defined the absence of live communication and
interaction as the most important one. That fact correlates with the preference of offline or mixed
forms of volunteering among people: live communication and “eyes to eyes” interaction is preferred
for helping behavior due to obvious reinforcement of the volunteer. Possibly the perceived behavioral
control in real-life cooperation leads to high confidence in effectivity of volunteering behavior [60].
5. The Conclusions
The goal of our study was to investigated the digital volunteering representation in youth. We
supposed that volunteering motivation correlates with different digital volunteering representations:
more vivid volunteering motivation in youth correlates with more clear representations about forms,
advantages and disadvantages of volunteering activity. The realized investigation helps to define
representations of digital volunteering in youth. The representations of digital volunteering in youth
are rather vague- some common characteristics of digital helping activity are named with a not high
level of orientation about volunteering structures in internet. The experience of real practice in
volunteering has some link with deepness of knowledge and understanding of digital volunteering
activity. The main advantages and disadvantages of digital volunteering are defined. There is some
contradiction in representations of advantages and disadvantages of digital volunteering – in some
forms online helping behavior wide the possibilities to help, but at the same time dependence from
internet and technical devices, limitation of help forms due to distant communication are named.
IMS-2021. International Conference “Internet and Modern Society” 419
During the investigation we defined different motivation functions of volunteering activity. Three
types of volunteering motivation were depicted: “active volunteering”, “passive volunteering”,
“pragmatic volunteering”. We analyzed the links between different types of volunteering motivation
and representation about digital volunteering. The groups of “active volunteering” and “pragmatic
volunteering” have more clear representations about forms, advantages and disadvantages of
volunteering activity that subjects from “passive volunteering” in most situations. The reflection of
volunteer motivation can make the understanding of altruist helping behavior more vivid and clear.
The theoretical significance of the present study is defined by the described picture of digital
volunteering representation in modern Russia. There is a lack of investigation on that theme in Russia.
The varied levels of informational orientation about digital volunteering were described. The revealed
results can be used in the practice of volunteering involvement processes. The modern Russian
volunteering groups are looking forward to attract active youth in prosocial activity. Comprehension
of stimulus and values of that participation for new possible participants, their perception and
knowledge for digital volunteering can be useful in organization of effective people engagement
programs.
6. Acknowledgments
The study was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research under the project 20-013-
00439.
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