Transformation of the value of education in the virtual society

Тhe article discusses the concept values of a virtual society. Under the virtual society is understood such a society, a major factor in the existence of which is a virtual (mediated by computer technology) communication. Such a society is regarded as being in the present moment in the process of formation and development of active virtualization of society. The article presents some results of the pilot study on the problem of changes in the value orientations of modern society, associated with its virtualization, examines the changes affecting the value orientations of active participants in online communities compared to their not involved in virtual communities involved to a lesser extent peers. The authors analyze the change in the place of traditional values in the hierarchy of values inherent in the participants of virtual communities. We consider the transformation of the relationship to education as to the value and the change in its significance: in particular, the authors revealed a tendency to increase the significance of this value with increasing involvement of the respondents in the virtual society.