SOCIAL CAPITAL, DIGITAL DIVIDES, AND INTERGENERATIONAL TRANSMISSION OF CULTURAL CAPITAL IN DISADVANTAGED URBAN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

Abstract

Advancing the classic network model of cultural capital, this study draws on social capital theories and digital divide and inclusion literature to examine the implications of social capital and digital connections for parents' cultural capital in marginalized urban communities in two aspects: parents' cultural knowledge and intergenerational cultural participation. Drawing on a household survey of an extremely disadvantaged population living in public housing communities in a major American city, results show that parents with greater social capital command greater cultural knowledge, which in turn can increase their intergenerational cultural participation. Parents' social capital, however, has no direct impacts on intergenerational cultural participation. By contrast, the findings suggested that internet access alone is not enough for digital inclusion to increase cultural capital.