Social Capital, Digital Divide and Their Relationship with Internet Use : A Longitudinal Study

In this article, we measure the relationship between various types of the Internet use, digital divide and the social capital of users. We use panel data from a Russian longitudinal monitoring survey for 2012-2018. Fixed effect logit model is applied. The results of the regression show that the purposes of using the Internet have different effects on the social capital of users. Higher educational attainment relates to Internet use for work. Also, stable employment depends on educational use of the Internet. Internet use for communication is an important predictor for almost all observed social outcomes, while culture-related Internet use is closely associated with improving the educational level of users. In addition, we control regression results with age groups that show a decrease in the positive effect of Internet use with age and small or no effect for seniors on stable employment and professional mobility. The study’s findings on use of the Internet and its impact on social capital contribute to understanding government policies, employers’ programs, and community efforts to manage the digital divide in a digital society