Citizenship and Inclusion in Digital Societies

The research theme Citizenship and Inclusion in Digital Societies focuses on everyday digital media use from a critical and empirical perspective. It analyzes how digitalization both creates new and sustains existing (in)equalities, including - but not limited to - divides around digital literacy, class, gender, race, ethnicity and political orientations.

Moving beyond differences in access or skills, this theme group aims to understand the impact of digital in- or exclusion in people’s everyday life. How has the digital transformed the fabric of society in a manner that produces or sustains inequity?

How can we understand the gradations and processes of in- and exclusion in a digital society from the perspective of citizens themselves, socially, economically, culturally and politically? How do underlying power mechanisms of in- and exclusion affect media practices? How do media practices alleviate or strengthen existing inequalities among citizens or create new ones? And what are the implications of digital in- and exclusion for equity, diversity, and democracy?

Taking a critical, reflective and analytical perspective to citizens’ experiences in digital societies, the research theme group Citizenship and Inclusion in Digital Societies conducts research projects that aim to understand power relations, inequalities and mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion in digital societies, and to make research-informed recommendations to address this societal challenge.

Part of the research of this group is organized in the Digital Inclusion Lab and done in collaboration with the Digital Literacy Coalition.

Keywords: digital inclusion, citizen engagement, media use, digital literacy, everyday life, media practices, equity, diversity, digital inequalities

Conveners: Çiğdem Bozdağ & Joëlle Swart