Reframing digital inequality
Investigating symbolic boundaries in media use among Norwegian adolescents
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19224006 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Edda J Arneberg (University of Oslo, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-19 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-11 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Youth Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1367-6261 • E-ISSN: 1469-9680 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13676261.2026.2686102 |
| OpenAlex | W7164337619 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 41 |
This study explores how Norwegian adolescents assign symbolic value to media preferences and practices, and how distinctions and cultural hierarchies contribute to inequality by reinforcing group boundaries. Findings show that adolescents categorized as cultural upper middle and elite classes draw symbolic boundaries within their own social group (in-group) by portraying an unnamed out-group as lazy, unintelligent and less productive. These boundaries are expressed through distinctions that frame certain media as ‘intelligent’, ‘stupefying’, or ‘easily attainable’ and media practices as either ‘productive’ or ‘healthy’ and therefore preferable. Aligned with neoliberal ideals of self-optimization and productivity, the study argues that managing media use and restricting screen time have become markers of class belonging among the cultural upper middle and elite classes. Drawing on interviews and fieldwork in both physical and digital spaces, the study provides insight into digital inequalities in a Norwegian context and how adolescents aged 16–19 use and experience media. It highlights the importance of moving beyond access, skills and user habits in digital inequality studies and considers how media preferences and practices hold symbolic value, which can reveal hidden divides between social groups
Cognitive reframing · Context (archaeology) · Digital media · Elite · Highbrow · Inequality · Norwegian · Social inequality · Social media · The Symbolic · Child Development and Digital Technology · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Social Media and Politics
The Third Digital Divide
The Platform Society
Unequal Childhoods
Growing Up Wired
Money, Morals, and Manners
The Production of Culture
Making sense of YouTubers
The Sociology of Elite Distinction
Interviewing in Social Science Research
Social Identity
‘I’m not a snob, but…’
Have your cake and feed it forward too
Protecting the Developing Mind in a Digital Age
Uncovering longitudinal life narratives
Networked privacy
Media practice and class-making
Defusing moral panic
Digital Gambling
Cultural Practices and Socio-Digital Inequalities in Europe
Distinctions in the making
Plugged In
Modes of consumption
Social capital and the intergenerational transmission of cultural capital
Addressing Recognition Gaps
Moratorium or waithood? Forms of time-taking and the changing shape of youth
What is missing? Cultural processes and causal pathways to inequality
The media go-along
The Neoliberal Self
Affordances-in-Practice
Searching for Oneself on YouTube
Elite Communities and Polarization in Neoliberal Society
Class, Culture and Culinary Tastes
The Study of Boundaries in the Social Sciences
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |