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Political expression has flourished online, especially on social media platforms, but there are also participation gaps associated with long-standing social and digital inequalities including socio-demographics, political capital, and internet practices. In this study, we examine how network characteristics such as size and diversity contribute to gaps in online political expression and content creation, as well as whether they mediate the stratificational effects of antecedent factors. We test these possibilities using data from a two-wave panel survey of adult internet users in the United States collected just before and after the 2018 U.S. midterm elections. Our findings show relatively wide participation gaps associated with network diversity, which also mediates the influence of political interest and digital news use. We argue that more attention should be paid to network inequalities in online participation, particularly whether they arise from fundamentally unfair social conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the impacts of COVID-19 on the digital work of museums and galleries in the UK, 2020–2021. Focusing on social media activity, we explore two questions: (1) How did approaches to, and institutional perceptions of, social media shift during the pandemic? and (2) Looking to the future, what practical and theoretical challenges do social media present for museums and galleries, and what are the related policy implications? The discussion draws on a mixed-methods study including an analysis of 9000 tweets, and reflective semi-structured interviews with 19 digital workers. Our findings can help shape global digital heritage practices as we emerge from the pandemic, enabling more dynamic and meaningful forms of cultural participation, and underpinning more confident and ethical social media trajectories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some people live in social media "news deserts," while others are embedded in online networks that are rich in news content. These news deserts represent a new form of digital inequality—distinct from problems of access, resources, or civic skills—that could foreclose one of the ways social media are believed to contribute to informing citizens and engaging them in democratic processes: providing opportunities for incidental news exposure. This study investigates incidental exposure on social media platforms, drawing on an online survey administered just before the 2018 US Midterm Elections (N = 1493). The study finds that even after controlling for key individual-level factors, characteristics of social media discussion networks play a role in explaining variation in incidental exposure. The results are discussed in light of prevailing theory about incidental exposure, public engagement, and digital inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I critically examine the New Zealand Human Rights Commission's interactive website the Voice of Racism, to highlight the limitations and radical potentialities of vernacular affordances for anti-racism campaigns. I draw on Melissa Harris-Perry's concept of the Crooked Room, to assert that online encounters across difference operate within a "crooked platform," which can problematize the recognition of marginalized bodies. I use a multimodal analytic technique called Critical Technocultural Discourse Analysis to analyze the anti-racism campaign and explore the complex and interdependent relationship between user experiences and architectural structures of inequality. I show how vernacular affordances of platforms and audio-visual cues influence users' perceptions of self and "other" in relationship to their environmental reality. I encourage anti-racist activists to attune themselves to the often imperceptible tilt of digital platforms by listening and engaging in reflexive practices of digital recognition. Throughout this article, I maintain that our perceived alignment with digital platforms is an optical illusion, inequality remains an invisible structural feature of the online environments that we inhabit. The room is still crooked, we simply can no longer see the walls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our upbringing and education influence not only how we present and distinguish ourselves in the social world but also how we perceive others. We apply this central sociological idea to the social media context. We conduct a large-scale online study to investigate whether observers can correctly guess the education of others from their Facebook profile pictures. Using the binomial test and cross-classified mixed-effects models, we show that observers can assess the education of depicted persons better than chance, especially when they share the same educational background and have experience with the social media. We also find that posting pictures of outdoor activities is a strong signal of having higher education, while professional photographs can obscure education signals. The findings expand our knowledge of social interaction and self-expression online and offer new insights for understanding social influence on social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Second screening is a relatively new set of media practices that arguably empower audiences to shape public narratives alongside news organizations and political elites. But in developing countries such as Colombia, it is important to examine who participates in this process, as substantial inequalities in both access to and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) persist. This study examines how socioeconomic status (SES) relates to the adoption of second screening practices in Colombia, a country in which the technological access and literacy necessary to engage in these practices are becoming widespread but are not yet ubiquitous. Based on a random sample of face-to-face interviews, results show evidence of persistent digital divides in Colombia in terms of ICT access, ICT use, and second screening for news. Additionally, results indicate that the relationship between SES and second screening for news is indirect, mediated through technological access and public affairs engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media, or web 2.0, allows citizens to produce content and information. However, not everybody has the same access to these benefits. This causes the emergence of a digital divide and the appearance of vulnerable sectors. We study the effect of education, financial income, and the frequency of technology use on the capacity of citizens to produce political content on social media in Spain. The methodology is based on a secondary analysis of data, whereby a statistical method was applied to a quantitative questionnaire (n=2,444). The results reveal that citizens' creation of political content depends more on education level and frequency of digital network use, rather than on income levels. This data provides a significant and novel contribution to the awareness of factors that determine digital inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Little research has examined digital inequalities in social networking website use. [•] This study used a large sample to examine digital inequalities in Facebook usage. [•] Women were more likely to use Facebook for communication. [•] African Americans were less likely to use Facebook to check up on friends. [•] Those from lower SES were less likely to use Facebook for communication and sharing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this paper we reflect on how research and policies can and/or should help in the development of a sustainable participatory information society for all. More specifically, we aim to investigate critically how social media can entail both potential and pitfalls, especially with regard to the difficult relationship between digital and social inclusion. First of all, traditional information society policies are scrutinized. Furthermore, we point at the existence of digital inequalities and we reflect briefly on policy intervention on e-inclusion. In addition, we also evaluate the raise of social media. Finally, attention is given to the challenge of how research can contribute to the participation of all in the information society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]