This article carries a theoretical-methodological character. The key goal consists in the revision of theoretical-methodological approaches f social science and the humanities towards analyzing virtual social networks. The author notes that currently within social science and the humanities has formed a strong contradiction between the growing relevance of studying virtual social networks and the absence of viable conceptual foundation for conducting such studies. An attempt is made to overcome such contradiction by referring to the analysis of established vectors of research of the virtual social networks for the purpose of systematization of inherent to them substantive peculiarities. Methodologically, the article is based on the analysis of most cited and resonant theoretical works dedicated to examination of the virtual social networks, published in Russian and foreign sources prior to writing this article. The author concludes that at least four main directions can be determined in the context of relevant research on virtual social networks: socio-philosophical, socio-psychological, communicative, and utilitarian. Despite the fact that these directions do not contradict each other, they suggest different perspective of studying the virtual social networks; therefore, it is difficult to build a holistic representation on the essence of such networks. The scientific novelty of this work is defined by a rare attempt to systematize the relevant scientific approaches towards analyzing the virtual social networks, and proposal of the original classification of such approaches that has not been previously described in the scientific literature.