ABSTRACT

The phenomenon of digital differentiation, or stark variations in ability to access Internet hardware and/or infrastructure, has been a feature of provision since its early days. This article explores the impact of digital differentiation on two groups of young people, in England and Germany. It is based on fieldwork that took place during the academic year 2018-2019, just before the global pandemic threw the issue of equality of Internet access into sharp relief. The article begins by describing the empirical design of the My Life Online project, including background, sampling, instruments, ethical aspects and the initial data analysis approach taken to ensure reliability and validity. It then develops a further analysis drawing on Halford and Savage’s hybrid Bourdieu/Actor Network Theory model (2010) to map out the socio-technical network surrounding the young people in our study. In this way we identify areas of change and conflict that compound existing social deprivation. We conclude by making a case for a better education policy awareness of the key issues, and more equitable distribution of national infrastructure moving forwards.

摘要

数字差异化现象，或访问互联网硬件和/或基础设施能力的明显差异，自早期以来一直是供应的一个特征。本文探讨了数字差异化对英格兰和德国两组年轻人的影响。它基于 2018-2019 学年期间进行的实地考察，就在全球大流行使互联网访问平等问题急剧缓解之前。本文首先描述了 My Life Online 项目的实证设计，包括背景、抽样、工具、伦理方面以及为确保可靠性和有效性而采取的初始数据分析方法。然后，它利用哈尔福德和萨维奇的混合布迪厄/演员网络理论模型 (2010) 进行了进一步的分析，以绘制出我们研究中围绕年轻人的社会技术网络。通过这种方式，我们确定了加剧现有社会剥夺的变化和冲突领域。最后，我们提出了一个案例，即提高对关键问题的教育政策意识，以及更公平地分配国家基础设施。