Social Class and The Unequal Digital Literacies of Youth

Abstract

Recognizing the importance of technology to achieve agentive participation in the knowledge economy, this paper examines to what extent social class differences between youth shape their digital literacies. Drawing on a case study of adolescents of contrasting social positions, it discusses how the material and relational differences of home environments, manifested by spatial configurations, parental involvement and peer networks, can help develop diverse practices and dispositions towards technology. By demonstrating how the inequities of digital use can lead to the unequal accumulation of cultural and social capital, this paper concludes with the educational implications of the third digital divide.