Users of information and communication technologies in the context of digital inequalities and divides

Abstract

The author notes, referring to the opinion of a number of well-known researchers, a significant level of interpenetration of physical and digital reality, as well as the intensity of their interaction. New forms of digital inequality are emerging, which coexist alongside and are interconnected with its traditional manifestations. The concepts of digital divides of the first, second and third levels are not replaced by the concepts of digital inequality, but continue to be used along with them, maintaining their attractiveness. The author believes that one of the most heuristic methodologies for studying digital inequality and digital divides is proposed in the approach of P. Bourdieu, who studied inequality through the prism of forms of capital and the concept of habitus. The empirical basis is grounded on the study Me and My Big Data1, which takes a multidimensional approach to digital inequality in constructing ideal-typical models of digital users. This study reveals the digital divide both through the unequal level of knowledge and skills of UK users, and through the social benefits they receive in social interaction.