Dal capitale tradizionale al digital capital. Una evoluzione concettuale nella società digitale
Keywords:
digital capital, Bourdieu, digital society, digital divideAbstract
Il contributo ricostruisce l’evoluzione del concetto di capitale, dal suo significato economico originario alle sue successive declinazioni sociali e simboliche, fino alla rilettura proposta in chiave digitale. A partire dalla prospettiva di Bourdieu (1986), il capitale è inteso come risorsa accumulabile e convertibile, il cui valore dipende dal riconoscimento sociale e dal campo in cui è mobilitato. In questa cornice teorica si colloca la nozione di digital capital, sviluppata per interpretare le forme di disuguaglianza e distinzione che emergono nella società connessa.
Il paper analizza la progressiva autonomia concettuale del digital capital, dalle prime elaborazioni come estensione dei capitali tradizionali fino alla definizione proposta da Ragnedda (2017; 2018; 2020) come capitale specifico del dominio digitale. Si mostra infine come il digital capital presenti una natura fluida e dinamica (Bauman, 2000), riflettendo la rapidità del cambiamento tecnologico e le nuove modalità di accumulazione e riconoscimento nella modernità digitale.
The paper traces the evolution of the concept of capital, from its original economic meaning to its subsequent social and symbolic extensions, up to its reinterpretation in the digital age. Building on Bourdieu’s (1986) framework, capital is understood as an accumulable and convertible resource whose value depends on social recognition and the field in which it is mobilized. Within this theoretical framework, the notion of digital capital emerges as a tool to interpret new forms of inequality and distinction in the connected society.
The paper examines the progressive conceptual autonomy of digital capital, from its early formulations as an extension of traditional forms of capital to the definition proposed by Ragnedda (2017; 2018; 2020) as a specific form of capital within the digital domain. Finally, it highlights the fluid and dynamic nature of digital capital (Bauman, 2000), reflecting the rapid pace of technological change and the new modes of accumulation and recognition that characterize the digital modernity.
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