The article considers the issues of dynamics of economic behavior of the parties to social relations related to changes in the technological (instrumental) environment of our existence, typical for the beginning of the 21st century - digitalization, internet technologies, development of the search algorithms, social media. Possible changes in self-identification of the participant of economic activity in his interaction with the information field formed by the internet technologies are being revealed. a new understanding of the dilettante phenomenon and his role in modern social and economic relations is offered. the subject is considered in the light of the K. Popper’s [three worlds] concept, provisions of the M. McLuhan’s instrumental evolution theory, a. giddens’ postmodernity theory and T. Friedman’s ‘flat world’ ideas.