Taking advantage of the Internet: A qualitative analysis to explain why educational background is decisive in gaining positive outcomes

This study takes a qualitative approach to studying how the socio-cultural context might foster beneficial Internet use for different educational groups. As the approach taken in digital inequality research is often a quantitative one, most studies yield primary determinants of obtaining positive outcomes that do not suffice in offering explanations for how digital inequalities arise. This study aimed to bridge this shortcoming by conducting qualitative interviews with 48 Dutch families that were selected on the basis of the educational level of their family heads, which were classified as either highly or less educated, and household characteristics (marital status and children). The results show that the highly educated are more likely to obtain positive outcomes in all fields of society than the less educated, but that they strive to diminish the influence of Internet use on their personal lives by disconnecting from the Internet whenever possible.