How offline backgrounds interact with digital capital

Abstract

This article investigates the interaction between digital capital and some offline components (economic, cultural, political, social and personal) that represent the background against which we access and use the Internet. Based on a stratified sample of the UK population (868), six indexes (one for each component) were generated through factor analysis and univariate analysis. We summarised them into a unique model by performing a multiple linear regression to evaluate the role-played by offline components in the development/reinforcement of digital capital. The interaction between these new indexes and the digital capital index shows that, with the exception of the political component, all offline backgrounds positively contribute to digital capital. Moreover, the multiple regression analysis shows that the economic and social components have the strongest influence on digital capital.

Jobless and Burnt Out: Digital Inequality and Online Access to the Labor Market

“…Higher levels of offline resources enable better internet access and autonomy. Secondly, we tested the relationship between digital resources and digital skills, conceived as both navigational and online job-seeking skills, and found that high levels of digital resources promote high levels of digital skills (Ragnedda, 2018;Ragnedda et al, 2022;Robinson, 2009Robinson, , 2012. Hence digital resources enable the transfer of the positive benefits of existing materials, and educational resources are transferred.…”

“…In addition, better digital resources increase both digital proficiency and users' confidence in their ability to evaluate and filter online information (Robinson, 2009(Robinson, , 2012. The concept of "digital capital" (Ragnedda, 2018;Ragnedda et al, 2022) describes the accumulation of internet users' digital skills and resources. It represents a link between online and offline opportunities, as it can increase internet users' material resources when actioned through internet use.…”

“…Levels of material resources are related to levels of access to digital technologies that enable internet connections (Ragnedda, 2018;Ragnedda et al, 2022). Also, people with high levels of material and educational resources show greater autonomy of use, assessed as the variety of places from which a person can connect to the internet (Hassani, 2006;Peter & Valkenburg, 2006).…”

Parental digital involvement in online learning: Addressing the digital divide, not redressing digital reproduction

“…Parents' social capital is a crucial factor in this regard. As lower‐SES parents tend to have difficulty obtaining relevant social support from their surrounding environment (Ragnedda et al., 2022), they face greater emotional costs when engaging in online learning. As a result, they tend to be less accepting of online learning than higher‐SES parents.…”

Exploring Digital-Environment Habitus in Italy—How Digital Practices Reflect Users’ Environmental Orientations?

“…The scientific debate also refers to additional forms of capital that contribute towards positioning digital users, such as digital capital and technocultural capital [33,34]. These concepts combine the material resources and skills necessary to navigate a technology-driven, digitally mediated social environment [35,36]. Directly connected to the notion of digital/techno capital, the concept of technological habitus has emerged as a bridge between the collective technology practices embedded in the habitus and individual actions [37,38].…”