There are analyzed the social and cultural conditions, in which the Internet originated, revealed the preconditions for online social networks phenomenon, regarded as the factor for reality virtualization. The suggested historical viewpoint allows revealing the continuity of the modern network culture and the main ideas, projects, experiments of counterculture of the 1960 - 1980s, implemented in the end into informational and spectacular technologies.

By the example of the VKontakte website there is considered the phenomenon of social Network services in modern culture, its functional peculiarities, the role and place of the given phenomenon in persons life. There are shown the probable reasons for the popularity and wide spread of the new form of communication. There is analyzed the problem of dependence on the Internet.