Formation of the Social Capital of Urban Communities in the Context of Digitalization of the Urban Environment

Abstract

Introduction. Currently, the development and convergence of virtual digital practices actualizes the need for theoretical and methodological understanding of the transformations of social capital in the urban environment. The purpose of the article is to explore the process of changing the mechanisms for the formation of social capital, based on expert assessments and the results of an analysis of public opinion, as well as conjunctive processes that are being transformed under the influence of the digitalization of urban spaces. Methodology and Methods. The methodological basis of the study consists of the provisions of the social capital theory, the theory of social conjunction; the concept of digitalization of social reality. The empirical base of the scientific article includes the results of a complex of sociological studies conducted by a team of authors of Belgorod State University in 2020–2022. The research data has made it possible to determine the dispositions of various population groups in relation to the social consolidation of urban communities in the context of the digitalization of the urbanized environment, as well as to identify the specifics of values, attitudes and behavioral motives in the implementation of consolidation practices. Results. On the basis of empirical data, it has been possible to reveal that the process of forming and building up the social capital of urban communities has serious limitations that do not disappear in the course of digitalization of the urban environment. On the one hand, this process creates opportunities for consolidation based on social digital platforms; on the other hand, network social capital turns out to be very fragile, since it does not involve “live communication” and does not connect the participants of the interaction with reliable grounds. Discussion and Conclusion. The analysis has made it possible to note that, while creating new conditions for communication and unification of citizens, digitalization also leads to the emergence of new barriers, the most significant of which is the lack of “real life communication”, which prevents the participants of interaction from being bound by reliable grounds. Prospects for further research on the topic under study are related to the development of such criteria that will allow us to assess the sociodynamics of the process of the social capital forming in urban communities, as well as the process of consolidation.