Digital Capital and Political Power: Shaping Inequalities in a Technological Age
Hosted by the University of Sharjah (UAE) and organized by the IAMCR Digital Divide Working Group in collaboration with the Mass Media Research Group at the University of Sharjah (UAE).
Date: 17 April, 2025
Location: University of Sharjah
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This symposium will explore the emerging and evolving forms of digital inequalities and their intricate connections with social inequalities. As digital technologies increasingly shape our world, they reflect and amplify existing economic, social, and political divides, both within and across nations. The event will bring together scholars and practitioners to examine these dynamics, offering a platform for in-depth discussions on the complex nature of digital inequalities in today’s society.
Keynote: Dr. Jeremy Schulz, Senior Researcher, ISSI, UC Berkeley (USA).
Submission Guidelines
- Abstracts: Abstracts should be no more than 500 words.
- Submission Deadline: 20 January 2025
- Submission Email: mragnedda@sharjah.ac.ae
Attendance and catering are complimentary.
Key Focus Areas
The evolving nature of Digital Capital. This theme will delve into the concept of digital capital, examining how digital resources and skills are unevenly distributed and how they influence social mobility, economic opportunities, and access to power. We encourage papers that explore the role of digital capital in perpetuating or challenging social inequalities.
Beyond Access: Emerging Digital Divides and Their Implications for Social Justice. This area will address the emerging digital divides that go beyond access to technology, including disparities in digital literacy, quality of digital engagement, and the unequal benefits of digital participation. Submissions are invited to critically analyze these new forms of digital inequalities and their implications for social justice.
Intersection of AI, digital inequalities, and political power. This focus area will explore the intersection of digital technologies and political life, such as the impact of algorithms on democracy, digital surveillance, and the role of social media in shaping political discourse. Papers should investigate how digital technologies are influencing political power dynamics and what this means for the future of democratic governance.
Publication Opportunities
Participants will have the opportunity to contribute to one of the two special issues (Scopus Q1) that will be proposed:
Special Issue 1: Emerging Forms of Digital Inequalities. The Role of Digital Capital in Shaping Access, Power, and Opportunities in the Digital Era. This Special Issue will be edited by Massimo Ragnedda, Anna Gladkova and Maria Laura Ruiu and submitted to the World of Media (Q1 Scopus). The issue will invite both theoretical and empirical contributions, including qualitative and quantitative studies, policy analysis, and case studies. Articles could explore local, national, and global perspectives, as well as emerging theoretical frameworks on digital capital and digital inequalities. This special issue aims to shed light on the evolving concept of digital capital and its profound implications for digital inequalities in contemporary society.
Special Issue 2: Artificial Intelligence, Digital Inequalities, and Political Power: Navigating Access, Governance, and Representation. This special issue is edited by Jason Gainous, Massimo Ragnedda, and Maria Laura Ruiu and submitted to the Journal of Information Technology & Politics (Q1 Scopus). It explores the intersection of AI, digital inequalities, and political power, examining how AI technologies shape access, influence governance, and impact political representation. This special issue will focus on the role of AI in reproducing or challenging digital divides, and it aims to uncover the implications for democratic participation, algorithmic bias, and the governance of digital spaces, highlighting the complex relationship between technology, inequality, and political inclusion.
For those interested in further developing their research, there will also be an opportunity to propose a book, either as a monograph or an edited volume, to be published within the Palgrave Studies in Digital Inequalities series.
