VK’s informal communities as groups at risk of digital marginalization

Social media significantly impacts social inclusion, potentially exacerbating or mitigating digital marginalization. Some individuals, while being connected to the global network, become isolated within specific informal com- munities. Members of such groups find themselves within a social media enclave fostering in them alienation characteristic of marginalization. This study investi- gates the prevalence of informal VKontakte communities and their role in digital marginalization. Using content and audience analysis, we found that most users simultaneously belong to multiple informal communities across various topics. However, a small subset (5 % of users) primarily participates in single, asocial com- munities, representing less than a quarter of all informal groups. These individuals are most vulnerable to digital marginalization. Contributing factors include individ- ual vulnerabilities, manipulative actions by community owners and moderators, and social media algorithms. Developing algorithms that prevent information silos could become a crucial first step toward addressing this issue.