Social inequality and the digital transformation of Western society: what can stratification research and digital divide studies learn from each other?

Uwe Matzat,Erik Van Ingen

doi:10.5771/9783845295008-379

Abstract

We examine what the social change induced by the ubiquitous use of social media and other Internet applications in Western society implies for sociological research on inequality and stratification. Stratification research on the one hand and studies of the digital divide on the other hand used to be quite separated. We provide an overview of research on inequality in the field of social media and other Internet-use research and argue that separation between this and mainstream inequality research is no longer useful. Digital divide research in the 1990 s examined which groups were disadvantaged with respect to access to the Internet. Later attention shifted towards a so-called second order digital divide, focusing on inequalities in the distribution of a diverse set of digital skills as well as inequalities in forms of Internet use. Recently researchers have started to address questions with regard to a third-order digital divide consisting of inequality in outcomes of Internet use. This type of research creates a bridge to traditional inequality research, as it focuses on the (real-life) consequences of what individuals do online. Since variation in Internet use leads to inequality of outcomes of Internet use, inequality of life chances is directly addressed by digital divide research. We argue that the ubiquity of use of social media in almost all human domains, and the fact that research has shown that this usage affects socio-economic positions and quality of life, urges inequality researchers to take into account digitalization as an important dimension of inequality. Most important, the shift to a third order digital divide provides the opportunity for both areas of research to focus on outcomes as a point of convergence. Looking ahead, we propose a comparative approach for future sociological research that takes into account findings of stratification and digital divide research.

Highlights

The study of social stratification is one of the key topics of sociology, studied since the beginning of the academic discipline
We examine the question what the rise of social media and other Internet applications implies for the study of inequality and social stratification in Western society
The social change induced by the Internet is a topic in the public debate and has the attention of policy makers

Summary

Introduction

The study of social stratification is one of the key topics of sociology, studied since the beginning of the academic discipline. Digital divide research explains the same relationship, but includes Internet-mediated communication and online resources as mediating factors While both fields (of study) cover important aspects, they need to be combined in order to provide a complete explanation of how inequality is produced in an ehrttapsw://dhoie.orreg/1m0.5a7n71y/97i8n3d84i5v2i9d5u00a8l-s37m9, aomb0i8l.i1z0e.20r2e2s,o1u5:0r6c:e06s from the Internet. In many Western countries, researchers analyzed the conditions that furthered (or hindered) access to these technologies (De Haan 2003; Katz, Rice / Aspden 2001) Both the general public and policy makers were preoccupied with reducing the digital divide at the beginning of the new millennium, and the general belief was that the problem would be solved once everyone had access to the Internet (Mossberger, Tolbert / Stansbury 2003). Groups that were found to be in a disadvantaged position included the elderly, people with a low income, a low education, ethnic minorities, and, at least in some studies, women and inhabitants of rural areas (Chen & Wellman 2005)

The first elaboration: second order digital divide and digital inequality

Health Behavior & Coping

Social Capital

Findings

Comparing the outcomes of stratification and digital divide research