Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
1128464 Poetics 2011 24 Pages PDF
Abstract

How does class intersect with claims of digital democracy? Most digital inequality research focuses on digital consumption or participation, but this study uses a production lens to examine who is creating digital content for the public sphere. My results point to a class-based gap among producers of online content. A critical mechanism of this inequality is control of digital tools and an elite Internet-in-practice and information habitus to use the Internet. Using survey data of American adults, I apply a logit analysis of 10 production activities—from Web sites and blogs to discussion forums and social media sites. Even among people who are already online, a digital production gap challenges theories that the Internet creates an egalitarian public sphere. Instead, digital production inequality suggests that elite voices still dominate in the new digital commons.

► I study producers, not just consumers, of online content for the digital public sphere. ► A logit analysis of ten activities, from Web sites to social media, spans nine years. ► I find a class-based gap among producers of digital content, even among those online. ► A mechanism of digital production inequality is controlling the means of production. ► Results challenge digital democracy claims, as elite voices still dominate.

Related Topics
Social Sciences and Humanities Arts and Humanities Arts and Humanities (General)
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