Digital Socialization – Strengths and Weaknesses

Abstract

Digital socialisation has become a significant dimension of contemporary social life, as interpersonal communication, identity construction, learning, cultural participation and civic engagement are increasingly mediated by digital technologies. The goal was to analyse digital socialisation, highlighting its theoretical foundations, distinctive features, strengths and weaknesses. The theoretical framework draws on classical and contemporary contributions, including symbolic interactionism, social learning theory, socio-cultural learning theory, network society theory, participatory culture, media education, algorithmic power and the concept of the networked self. Particular attention is given to the becoming of Homo Digitalis , understood as the contemporary social actor whose identity, cognition, communication and relational life are deeply shaped by digital environments. To identify the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the digital socialisation, the research methodology consisted in three focus group interviews with 43 students and master’s students in educational sciences fields. The qualitative analysis of the itervies emphasises the ambivalent nature of digital socialisation: while it supports communication, learning, creativity, identity exploration, civic participation and digital competence development, it also involves risks such as superficial interaction, misinformation, cyberbullying, privacy vulnerability, dependence on digital validation, algorithmic influence and digital inequality. The paper concludes that education must address digital socialisation explicitly through media literacy, algorithmic awareness, ethical communication and responsible digital citizenship.