The article is devoted to the phenomenon of "virtual" social media as a factor influencing the formation of markers of the value palette and preferences of modern youth. The purpose of this study is to identify among the youth audience the role of social media in the formation of value-semantic attitudes and preferences. Through the content analysis of virtual discourse, the authors determine the motives for the inclusion of young people in virtual communities and the content orientation of these virtual groups. As a result, the authors conclude that the dominant force of social networks is the self-affirmation of a personality with an active representative sample included in various communities, living and acting according to the rules of these groups and receiving social approval and support, which often leads to a break with cultural tradition and the formation of a new type of personality, which determines the novelty and relevance of the research in in modern conditions of the development of a digital society.