SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE FORMATION OF SOCIAL ATTITUDES IN VIRTUAL SOCIAL NETWORKS.

The article analyzes the socio-psychological processes related to the formation of social attitudes in the virtual social environment. The study highlights the three-component (cognitive, affective, and behavioral) structure of social attitudes and the mechanisms of stereotype and prejudice formation. Based on generational theory, the socio-psychological portrait of the "Millennial" generation is outlined, and the motivational drivers (striving for success, creativocentrism) defining their activity in the file-sharing virtual world are revealed. Within the context of A. Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the role of the social sphere in developing personal status, self-governance, and identity is assessed as high.