Sociological Diagnosis of Digital Inequality: Methodological Model
https://doi.org/10.32603/2412-8562-2025-11-5-105-125
Abstract
Introduction. In the context of the rapid digitalization of Russian society, digital inequality has transformed into a systemic factor of social stratification, requiring comprehensive diagnostics based on the integration of quantitative and qualitative data. Methodology and sources. The research methodology is based on a three-level model of sociological diagnostics (operational, subject-adaptive, general methodological levels), combining 12 key indicators from official statistics (Rosstat, Ministry of Finance) and academic research (HSE, RANEPA), which allows us to identify not only explicit but also latent forms of inequality. Results and discussion. The results of the analysis revealed the paradox of “false inclusion”, the cumulative advantage effect, and critical points of no return at which groups lose their adaptive potential, which confirms Bourdieu's hypothesis about digital capital as a key mediator of social mobility. The results demonstrate that traditional infrastructure solutions exacerbate inequality, requiring a transition to digital emancipation and algorithmic transparency policies, especially for regions with low levels of digital inclusion. Conclusion. The formation of the diagnostic methodology highlights the universality of the proposed model, which has proven predictive accuracy and adaptability to various social processes, from educational inequality to migration trajectories, which opens up new prospects for evidence-based policies in the digital age.
Keywords
sociological diagnostics,
digital inequality,
conceptual model,
diagnostic methods,
digital stratification
Supporting agencies: the work was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (project no. 24-18-00261 “The sociostructural model of the transition of Russian society to the mode of augmented modernity”).
About the Authors
P. P. Deriugin
Sociological Institute of the RAS – FCTAS RAS; Saint Petersburg State University; Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Pavel P. Deriugin – Dr. Sci. (Sociology, 2002), Associate Member, Head of the Russian-Chinese Center for Interdisciplinary Studies; Professor at the Department of Applied and Specialized Sociology; Professor at the Department of Sociology and Political Science
V. P. Miletskiy
Saint Petersburg State University; Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Vladimir P. Miletskiy – Dr. Sci. (Politics, 1998), Professor (2002), Professor at the Department of Sociology of Political and Social Processes; Professor at the Department of Sociology and Political Science
A. V. Pavlov
Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Alexander V. Pavlov – Postgraduate at the Department of Sociology and Political Science
E. A. Esselevich
Saint Petersburg State University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Ernest A. Esselevich – Master (Sociology, 2024)
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Review
For citations:
Deriugin P.P., Miletskiy V.P., Pavlov A.V., Esselevich E.A. Sociological Diagnosis of Digital Inequality: Methodological Model. Discourse. 2025;11(5):105-125. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.32603/2412-8562-2025-11-5-105-125
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