Taking into account the tendency emerging in research concerning blurring of boundaries between a civil and a post-civil society, the paper clarifies the relationship between such concepts as "social network" and "network society" which are widely used along with the traditional concept of civil society. The interest to the concept is supported by the intensive development of computer technologies and communication media. The paper is focused on delineation of these concepts and reveals the relationship between them. In this connection, genesis and development of a civil society and social networks is presented as social processes; methodological grounds for general and distinguishing features of said phenomena are considered; their connection with life and systems worlds is shown. The paper is based on the analytical method which allowed making a range of generalizations and single out the features of these social phenomena. As a result, the authors stated the boundaries and relationship between the said categories, drawn a conclusion on one-time representation of a civil society at the level of micro! and macro-world, that corresponds to its simultaneous belonging to the models of both life and system worlds.