As a reservoir of virtual spaces, the internet can be researched. It is empirically accessible. The questions focusing on the possibilities of the internet to support or maximise learning processes do not necessarily have to be at the centre of the inquiries. It is also possible to develop questions relevant to this research from the perspective of a theory of "Bildung". In this article, the author focuses on the fundamental thesis that the virtuality arrangement is a reconfiguration of the social. It is this thesis which the author would like to elaborate on in the article. His first line of argument poses the internet as a new space of "Bildung" and culture, in which people gain experience through interaction with others and in which they design or construct themselves in certain ways. Second, he ascertains if it makes sense to talk about the existence of the social on the net, and third, he discusses some conclusions. (Contains 8 notes.)