Doctor of Psychological Sciences,Head of Department of Psychology,

Volgograd State University

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Prosp. Universitetsky, 100, 400062 Volgograd, Russian Federation

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Abstract. The article presents the results of the study of psycologycal characteristics of active users of the social network Vkontakte. This social network is the largest one and presents a lot of various opportunities for self-expression, self-presentation, exchange of ideas, exchange of audio- and video-materials. A content analysis of 100 pages of active users of this social network was conducted. Those were personal pages of 50 men and 50 women aged from 15 to 50 years old. Results of the study showed that the majority of active users of the social network Vkontakte regardless of gender, age, education or profession have specific psychological characteristics indicative of psychological problems. The conclusions based on this study prove critical importance and practical relevance of psychological preventive measures for optimization of communication in cyberspace. Such measures are especially important for teenagers and young people. Materials of the study can be used by psychological and social services, in educational process of a university or refresher courses for teachers. 

Key words: social network, self-presentation, cyberspace, socializing, content analysis,psychological preventive measures, communication.