The Internet is a guide to the virtual world where you can interact, make friends, build long and close interpersonal relationships, share information sources, realize personal potential and be financially successful. The problem of personal interaction in the information space is increasingly being analyzed in the context of virtual communication as a psychological phenomenon. The author proposes an analysis from the perspective of a socio-psychological approach. The aim of the article is to provide a theoretical analysis of virtual communication as a psychological phenomenon. As a result, the possibilities of satisfying the necessary social needs, which for some reason cannot be satisfied by a person in real life, are highlighted. Distinctive features are given in the methods and functions of communication in a virtual space, which are interconnected and are expressed at different social, business and individual levels of interpersonal communication. Communications in the virtual space can have both positive and negative character of influence on the personality, which makes the issue of user interaction on the Internet relevant. The nature of the impact of Internet communication depends more on the user himself. The article substantiates the concept of virtual communication as a form of interaction between people, which has significant significance in the economic, sociocultural, and political spheres of society and is an important mechanism in their implementation. The reasons for users staying on the Internet are analyzed and identified, its consequences are indicated.