Digital inclusion and inequalities at work in the age of social media

Abstract

Advancements in digital communication technologies, such as social media, have transformed how individuals can interact inside and outside their organizations and participate in professional life. This qualitative study focuses on inclusion in the increasingly digitalized and interactive workplace. It adopts a managerial perspective and explores whether organizational members are perceived to have equal opportunities to participate and contribute in this novel environment. The research data consists of interviews with 24 managers in seven knowledge-based organizations. The results show that both individual and organizational factors may become sources of inequality related to digital participation. The findings also emphasize that organizations have an important role in facilitating workers' digital inclusion. The paper contributes to the human resource management and digital inclusion literature and provides important managerial insights for organizations operating in the knowledge sector in particular.