Virtual Communication: Strengthening of Real Relationships or Simulation?

The shift of the real communication to the virtual sphere has influenced the nature of interpersonal relations. The article focuses on the characterization of the phenomenon ‘virtual communication', playing the dominating role in the electronic world culture. Drawing from a socio-cultural analysis and the theory of simulacra by J. Baudrillard, the article proposes the classification of the virtual communication types in terms of the nature of human relations and illustrates their peculiarities and features. Using the axiological approach, the author characterizes the phenomenon of the virtual communication and the existential and ethical aspects of the interpersonal relation transfer to the sphere of the information contact. The research resulted in revealing the features and peculiarities of the virtual communication and the benefits and risks for human beings and society.