Information society is not a social fact, but an assumption about the possible state of the future world community. The origin and development of the idea of ​ ​ an information society in Russia and abroad, technical prerequisites and state programs for its construction are traced. Technocratic and humanistic concepts of the information society are analyzed. The essence of the information society in virtual and social reality is revealed. Trends in the formation of a global information society and prospects for socialization of the idea of ​ ​ an information society in Russia of the 21st century are considered.