DIGITAL INEQUALITY, DIGITAL DIVIDE
In an increasingly digital world, we are confronted with new and reinforced inequalities that exclude and disadvantage parts of our societies. These new inequalities are determined by access to the internet, engagement with digital media, and the skills to navigate the plethora of available digital devices, platforms, and services. Scholarship has been exploring the digital forms of inequalities since the mid-1990s, and the discussion frequently centred on the notion of a ‘digital divide’.
The research on the ‘digital divide’ addresses internet access among citizens (referred to as the ‘first-level digital divide’), disparities in their internet skills for different purposes (known as ‘the second-level digital divide’), and the tangible consequences of these digital divides in terms of people's opportunities for success in life (referred to as ‘the third-level digital divide’).
In other words, at the dawn of the digital age in the 1990s, studies of digital inequality referred to a dichotomy between those who had access to the Internet and those who did not. This led to the initial conceptualisation of the notion of ‘the digital divide’ (later referred to as the ‘first-level digital divide’). As internet access expanded over time, the research focus shifted to the different ways in which digital technologies were used, taking into account motivations, interests, and digital skills, as well as people’s social, cultural, and economic backgrounds. This resulted in the conceptualisation of ‘the second-level digital divide’. Finally, ‘the third-level digital divide’ came about as a term when the research interest shifted to inequalities in terms of offline outcomes and benefits that people get by using digital technologies – better education, better jobs, better salaries, and larger social networks. During this most recent phase, the focus has shifted towards the ways in which differences in access, skills, and different uses of digital technologies become a significant source of social inequalities.
Indeed, existing research on digital divides suggests that not everyone has equal ‘digital capital’, i.e., the accumulation of digital competencies and technology. While access to digital infrastructure is improving, individuals vary in their internet skills, particularly when it comes to activities like curating their digital cultural preferences or creating digital content. These differences can have social and cultural consequences, affecting people's opportunities in today's media-driven and digital society. In other words, the use of digital media can also contribute to the social stratification of offline cultural participation.
The concerns raised by critics regarding the negative implications of the high degree of digitalisation on the daily lives of many individuals, particularly those who may not have the necessary means to keep up with these developments, have prompted actions aimed at ‘bridging the digital divide’. Proponents of such actions argue that they could improve digital literacy, digital skills for democracy, social mobility, economic equality, and economic growth. This is, of course, especially relevant for those segments of society that have been marginalised or disadvantaged by the process of digitalisation. (NNK, EPM, FM, PC)