THE CONCEPT OF HABITUS IN THE RESEARCH OF DIGITAL DIVIDES AND INEQUALITIES

Abstract

In the paper, we discuss the relevance of the concept of habitus, developed by the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, in the research of social inequalities and divides in digital practices. We approach digitalisation as a field of practice and social inequality, in which social processes are deeply imbued with the mediation of technologies. We particularly emphasise dimensions and levels of digital inequalities and divides, including the first-level digital divide that points to Internet access, the second-level digital divide that aims to differentiate the binary inequalities of Internet access from inequalities in skills and uses, and the third-level digital divide that poses the question of inequalities in the outcomes of Internet use. We present relevant empirical studies, with the aim of testing our main hypothesis regarding the relevance of the concept of habitus as an adequate research tool in the field. We confirm the hypothesis, demonstrating that this concept has both theoretical and methodological significance in the research of digital divides and inequalities.