World of Media-2025. Journal of Russian Media and Journalism Studies. Issue №3.

Special Issue 'Digital Capital: Inequalities, Measurement, and Environmental Intersections'

The issue was published in 2025 by the Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University.

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LEAD ARTICLE

Ragnedda, M., Ruiu M. L., & Gladkova, A. (2025). Reframing digital capital in unequal contexts. World of Media. Journal of Russian Media and Journalism Studies, 3. рр. 5–29. DOI: 10.30547/worldofmedia.3.2025.1 

This article theorizes digital capital as a distinct and field-dependent form of capital grounded in Bourdieu’s theory of practice. Moving beyond instrumental framings of digital inequality, it conceptualizes digital capital as comprising both material access and digital competences, with embedded conversion potential into economic, social, and cultural resources. The article argues that digital capital is relational, historically accumulated, and contextually valued within specific social fields. It interacts with habitus and other capitals, reinforcing or challenging existing stratification systems. By bridging first, second, and third-level digital divides, digital capital enables a more nuanced understanding of how digital engagement is shaped by structural inequalities. This framework resists technological determinism by foregrounding the social embeddedness of digital advantage, and it calls for a situated, justice-oriented approach to digital inclusion that recognizes whose competences are legitimised and how digital practices are socially distributed, converted, and recognised. 

Key words: Digital capital, digital inequalities, Bourdieu, social stratification, digital divide theory.

Received: 24.03.25

Accepted: 01.09.25

ARTICLES

Ragnedda, M., Addeo, F., & Ruiu M. L. (2025). A shorter scale for measuring digital capital: Cross-national validation of the Digital Capital Scale. World of Media. Journal of Russian Media and Journalism Studies, 3. рр. 31–54. DOI: 10.30547/worldofmedia.3.2025.2 

This article presents the development and cross-national validation of a shortened version of the Digital Capital Scale (DCS), a theoretical construct rooted in Bourdieu’s notion of capital and adapted to capture individuals’ digital skills and resources. Drawing on data from a representative sample of 7,936 respondents across Italy, Germany, France, and Denmark, we test the internal reliability, factorial structure, and new a 9-item scale derived from the original Digital Capital Index (DCI). Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, we demonstrate that the short version maintains a strong unidimensional structure and exhibits robust solidity. The scale correlates with key sociodemographic predictors – education, income, and age – indicating convergent validity. This research addresses the growing need for a concise, scalable instrument to measure digital capital in comparative contexts. Our findings suggest that the abbreviated DCS provides a reliable and theoretically grounded tool for large-scale surveys, policy evaluations, and interdisciplinary research on digital inequalities. 

Key words: Digital capital, scale validation, cross-national survey, digital inequalities, digital divide.

Received: 24.03.25

Accepted: 01.09.25

Muschert, G., & Shomotova, A. (2025). Digital capital as access and competence: A national-level study of the UAE. World of Media. Journal of Russian Media and Journalism Studies, 3. рр. 55–80. DOI: 10.30547/ worldofmedia.3.2025.3 

In the United Arab Emirates (UAE) context, this study investigates the relationship between demographic and socioeconomic factors (gender, age, education, income, employment status, field of work, device type, and religion) and two critical dimensions of digital capital: digital access and digital competence. Applying factor analyses to a nationally representative sample (n=493), the study examines the influence of age, education, income, and geographic location. The results show that higher income and education levels are strongly linked to greater digital competence and access. Age differences are also important, with young adults showing the highest digital competence. The UAE has a unique socioeconomic context, and while some well-established dimensions of digital inequality persist (such as income and education), others are absent (notably the gender dimension). This study contributes to a better understanding of digital inequalities embedded within broader social stratification patterns in a multicultural and technologically advanced society. 

Key words: Digital access, digital competence, digital capital, socioeconomics, demographic factors, United Arab Emirates.

Received: 24.03.25

Accepted: 01.09.25

Posner, M. (2025). The nexus of digital-environmental habitus: Examining the intersection of digital and environmental capital in higher education. World of Media. Journal of Russian Media and Journalism Studies, 3. рр. 81–105. DOI: 10.30547/worldofmedia.3.2025.4  

This study examines the intersection of digital capital and environmental capital in higher education, drawing on Bourdieu’s theory of practice (2017) and the emerging concept of digital–environmental habitus (Ruiu et al., 2021, 2023). Twenty-five UK-domiciled students from a research-intensive and a post-1992 university in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK, were recruited and interviewed using the Biographical Narrative Interpretive Method. Reflexive thematic analysis combined with a critical realist lens was applied to the narratives to trace how resources and dispositions were accumulated, converted, and recognized within institutional and disciplinary fields. Findings showed that students developed two distinct, but subfield-specific forms of digital capital: functional (technical, STEM-oriented) and practical (expressive, exploratory, humanities-oriented). Where sustainability was embedded in the curriculum, functional digital capital and environmental capital reinforced one another, yielding a strong digital–environmental habitus. In fields that prized practical digital capital, exploratory online practices incidentally broadened environmental awareness. Conversely, when disciplinary doxa valorised functional skills but ignored ecological concerns, environmental capital eroded, and climate apathy was misrecognized as individual preference. The study concludes that the conversion of digital into environmental capital is contingent on both institutional commitment to sustainability and curricula that reward critical, exploratory digital engagement. Embedding cross-disciplinary ecological content within digital skills teaching can therefore cultivate graduates who are simultaneously technologically proficient and environmentally responsible.  

Key words: Digital capital, environmental capital, digital–environmental habitus, higher education, Bourdieu, sustainability education, qualitative interviews.

Received: 24.03.25

Accepted: 01.09.25