Viral communication as a mechanism of escalation of social dangers on the internet

This article, based on the critical theory and the theory of mass communication, develops a theoretical and methodological approach to the study of social dangers that are increasing in the context of modern trends in the development of the media communication space. The author conceptualizes and describes such dangers as emotional exploitation, addictive information consumption and incompetent opinion leadership, and also analyzes the role of the phenomenon of viral communication in their escalation.