The article discusses some issues related to the transformation of the education system, which is largely due to the penetration of digital tools into the educational environment. The demand for IT technologies is emphasized, on the one hand, by the requirements of digitalization of the economy, which needs highly qualifi ed information specialists, and on the other hand, by methodological and didactic teaching practices, which are largely based on the use of electronic resources. The analysis of the contradictory nature of online education is given, the positive and negative consequences of its use in the educational process are investigated, its role in the processes of adaptation to the rapidly changing social and educational context is considered, its importance as the most important factor of socialization is emphasized. It is emphasized that distance learning is not only qualitatively new, but also a suffi ciently productive and fl exible form of learning that can be applied in various educational settings, and this is its universality. Attention is drawn to the fact that the success and relevance of distance education depend on the degree of use of traditional forms of education, the use of educational methods and practices that have become classical. The role of digitalization in strengthening the processes associated with the individualization of learning is emphasized, which is dictated by the requirements of industry 4.0. Digitalization creates conditions for self-realization, the formation of a space of competencies and skills that are in demand in post-industrial times. At the same time, negative psycho-emotional consequences of excessive fascination with IT tools are revealed, which often become mechanisms of manipulation of individual and collective consciousness. These problems taken together determine the objectives of the study – to draw attention to the ambiguous nature of online education, to show its relevance to the realities of socio-economic and educational time, to demonstrate the benefi ts and advantages that are provided by real-time learning, but based on the use of electronic resources. Being essentially an innovative pedagogical practice, distance learning meets the requirements of a transforming education system in which increased attention is paid to the issues of individualization of learning. Personalization as one of the leading trends allows us to expand the range of additional knowledge, as well as digital competencies demanded by modern modernization processes, which are somehow caused by the digitalization of the economy. The results of the study allow us to identify objective factors contributing to the disclosure of the contradictory nature of online education, the defi nition of the main trends in its development, the need to use it as an educational technology. The scientifi c novelty consists in identifying and analyzing those factors that ensure the effectiveness of digitalization of education, taking into account its possible consequences.