Abstract
The purpose of this article is to substantiate the theoretical aspects of the online model of socialization in virtual reality. The theoretical analysis reveals the relationship between the growing popularity of virtual internet space and the emergence of new types of social activity and forms of social interaction among individuals, which in turn confirms that virtual internet space has become a dynamic new environment for individual socialization. Based on an analysis of the theoretical principles of socialization, the authors clarified the essence of the concept of “Online Model of Socialization”. This theoretical approach allowed the authors to substan-tiate the dynamic new environment for individual socialization as the Online Model of Socialization. The article substantiates the proposition that the Online Model of Socialization creates conditions for developing individuals to express their social activity in relation to social action or inaction, or social behavior through the mechanism of social self-expression. This Online mechanism is also present in real social space, but in the Online Model of Socialization, in the online environment, it acquires dominant relevance, prevails, and becomes the leading one. The authors of the article believe that, within the context of the online socialization model, this mechanism will become the basis for constructing an individual’s virtual identity and their online social space, as well as the foundation for expanding the individual’s social experience in the real social space. The results of this theoretical study are recommended for practical use in educational institutions and social support organizations, including orphanages, when organizing the process of socialization of orphans.