Verbalization of the value component of the concept NETZFREUNDSCHAFT in German-speaking linguistic culture

The aim of the research is to identify the linguistic features of the conceptualization of friendly relations in the virtual environment. The active objectification of the word "Freund" (friend) in social networks has led to a transformation in the perception of friendly interaction and, consequently, to new ways of conceptualizing the phenomenon of friendship. This article uses conceptual and contextual analysis methods to investigate the linguistic means of objectifying the value aspect of the concept NETZFREUNDSCHAFT (FRIENDSHIP IN SOCIAL NETWORKS), which is new to German-speaking linguistic culture. The research material consists of a corpus of contexts, including direct and metaphorical realizations of the concept under investigation. The paper analyzes evaluations of the metaphorical models of the investigated concept identified by the author, both in the media and social networks, and in contemporary adolescent fiction. The scientific novelty lies in establishing the linguistic features of the conceptualization of friendship in the German-speaking virtual space. As a result, the features of the verbalization of the ambiguous evaluation of virtual friendship in German-speaking linguistic culture are described, which indicates global changes in the perception of friendship caused by the use of virtual communication.