The Digital Incorporated Worker Narrative: A Mixed Methods Study of Digital Capital, Work Selection, and Outcomes in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Abstract

Digital technology permeates society and industry, making digital-ready workers necessary for firms of all sizes as a firm seeks competitiveness in the market (Bergson-Shilcock et al., 2023; de Ruyter et al., 2018; Gorski et al., 2022; Karaboğa, 2023; Kim et al., 2017; Qureshi Zia, 2019). Firms seeking digital-ready workers face a complex digital divide that creates a worker shortage (Bergson-Shilcock et al., 2023; Karaboğa, 2023; Qureshi Zia, 2019). This study aims to describe workers\u27 work selection, work experience, and outcomes in a complex digital society. Most digital divide research focuses on the individuals excluded from owning, accessing, and having skills with information and communication technologies (Heeks, 2022), even though data reveals that the digital divide is not a simple dichotomy between the included and excluded (Ragnedda et al., 2020; Van Dijk & Hacker, 2003). Instead, the divide is a multifactor problem that can also cause stratification in the digital society (Ragnedda et al., 2020; van Deursen & van Dijk, 2015). This study uses the convergent mixed methods design to collect quantitative and qualitative data. The study data describes the stratification among workers in the digital society by exploring worker demographics, their accumulation of social, cultural, human, digital, and economic capital, and their work selection and outcomes. The study reveals (a) digital capital serves as a gateway to human capital and improved economic outcomes or economic capital, (b) the need for economic autonomy by those entering the workforce for the first time results in the selection of work that requires low-skill, and low to no digital capital. While this work is approachable and accessible, it offers low wages. (c) Workers\u27 cultural and social capital and accumulated work experiences shift from pursuing work solely for economic necessity to including purpose, ethics, and value alignment at work, requiring more digital capital to access jobs in this expanded scope. (4) increasing digital capital results in autonomy in pursuing outcomes supporting mental well-being, and (5) increasing digital capital results in feelings of disconnect from other humans