Back to the full dot-point answer
EnglandSociologyQuick questions
Debates in contemporary society (Component 3, Section A)
Quick questions on The digital divide and online identity - OCR A-Level Sociology Component 3
5short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is the digital divide?Show answer
The divide runs along several lines:
What is online identity?Show answer
The digital world reshapes identity. Goffman's presentation of self applies directly online: a social-media profile is a carefully managed frontstage performance, with the editing and curation hidden backstage. Turkle argues online relationships can be shallow, leaving us "alone together", more connected but more isolated. Boyd studies how young people use networked publics to socialise and build identity.
What is the postmodern view?Show answer
Postmodernists read the digital world through consumption and signs. Baudrillard's hyperreality describes a world of simulations and images that become more real than reality (influencers, brands, virtual worlds), where signs no longer point to anything real. Bauman links identity to consumption, as people build a pick-and-mix self through what they display online. The debate is whether the digital world increases inequality (the divide, surveillance capitalism) or offers opportunities that could reduce it.
What is q1?Show answer
Outline two dimensions of the digital divide. [4 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
Outline and explain two ways in which identity is constructed online. [10 marks]
Have a question we have not covered?
This dot-point answer is short enough that we have not extracted many short questions yet. Read the full dot-point answer or ask Mo, our study assistant, in the chat for follow ups.