The social practice of digital divide: a fuzzy set ideal type analysis of digital practices in South Korea

Digital inequality cannot be fully explained by disparities in access, skills and outcomes alone, especially as public services and everyday participation become increasingly digitally mediated. This study examines how digital inequalities are structured in South Korea, a highly digitalized yet socially stratified society, and asks how material access, competences and affective orientations towards technological change co-occur across socio-demographic groups. Drawing on a nationwide online panel survey of 2,000 respondents in South Korea, the study uses fuzzy set ideal type analysis (FSITA) to conceptualize digital practices as configurations of materials, competences and meanings. The findings show that digital inequalities remain strongly patterned by age, gender, income and region, while also revealing systematic variation in affective orientations towards technological change: younger groups often combine relatively strong digital competences with comparatively lower confidence towards technological change. By integrating a social practice perspective with FSITA, the study contributes to digital divide research, public policy debates on digital inclusion and configurational approaches to inequality. The findings suggest that digital inclusion policy should address infrastructure and skills while also recognizing that confidence and concern may vary independently of digital preparedness.