Peculiarities relating to the impact of virtual space on modern youth

The paper explores the impact of virtual space on the consciousness and lifestyle of modern youth. The theoretical significance of the work can be traced in the description of approaches to understanding the essence, peculiarities of development and manifestation of E-culture, the extent of its impact on the consciousness of the youth. Virtual space is an information technology-constructed reality resulting from a variety of forms of user interaction via the Internet. It is determined by info-communication practices and entertainment content, and is one of the most important elements of the new informational culture that has been emerging in recent decades. The positive and negative aspects of Internet interactions that characterize the health and psychological development of the youth's personality are identified. The empirical aspect is represented by the statistical analysis of Russian Federal State Statistics Service data, and the results of sociological research reflecting the growing dynamics of youth involvement in the virtual space.