Digitalization, Psychological Well-Being, and the Third-Level Digital Divide: Survey Study During the COVID-19 Pandemic in China

The study illustrates how digital activities affect mental distress, providing evidence of the third-level digital divide in psychological well-being. First, the impact of digital activities on mental distress varied according to the type of internet usage. Second, online activities offered greater psychological benefits to individuals in lower social positions compared with those with higher social status. Third, digital inclusion in community e-groups helped alleviate psychological distress, but "digitalized social capital" provided more significant benefits to urban residents than to rural residents. These results highlight how the digital divide affects health inequalities and underscore the need for a more nuanced understanding of information and communications technology policies and their impacts in the post-COVID-19 world.