Virtualization of social institutions

The purpose of the study is to reveal the features of the formation of a new social and information space of our time under the influence of information and communication technologies. The authors try to present a social institution in the context of the virtualization of modern society. A comparative analysis of traditional and virtual communities and social institutions shows the transformation of social interactions and their transition into a global information network. The article describes in detail the process and features of the virtualization of social institutions using the example of virtualization of the economy and politics. Scientific novelty lies in an interdisciplinary consideration of the virtualization of social institutions with the involvement of the works of modern philosophers, sociologists, and economists. As a study result, the authors conclude that the process of virtualization of social institutions is a process of simulation and semiotisation of social space until the symbolic sphere acquires the status of a single and self-sufficient reality.