Critical thinking as an existential survival strategy in an information noise society

Abstract

The relevance of critical thinking in contemporary society stems from the unprecedented growth in the volume of information, its accessibility, and the increasing amount of information noise, which makes it difficult for individuals to navigate the media landscape. Under such conditions, critical thinking emerges not only as a cognitive tool but also as an existential resource that ensures the preservation of cognitive autonomy and the semantic integrity of the individual. Of particular importance is the individual’s ability to resist manipulative influences and to maintain rationality in decision-making under conditions of information overload. In this context, there is a need to reconsider the functions of critical thinking as a systemic mechanism of adaptation. The aim of the article is to provide a theoretical substantiation of critical thinking as an existential strategy of survival in conditions of informational noise, as well as to conceptualize its structural and functional organization. The study employs methods such as theoretical analysis, generalization, systematization, and conceptual modeling, which made it possible to identify the main components of critical thinking and the mechanisms of their interaction. The results of the study substantiate the multidimensional structure of critical thinking, which includes cognitive, emotional-regulatory, axiological, and behavioral components. A nonlinear nature of the impact of informational noise on the quality of decision-making has been established, along with the identification of a critical threshold beyond which a decline in rationality is observed. The functional organization of critical thinking as a filtering mechanism is substantiated, reflecting the staged processing of incoming information flows and ensuring well-reasoned decision-making. The conclusions emphasize that critical thinking constitutes a key adaptive resource of the individual, enabling effective interaction with the information environment, the preservation of cognitive autonomy, and the making of well-founded decisions under conditions of information overload. The obtained results expand theoretical understandings of critical thinking as an integrative mechanism of self-regulation and may serve as a conceptual foundation for the development of educational strategies and further interdisciplinary research in this field.