Mapping InMeDiT Capital: A conceptual framework for post-digital families in a gaseous society

Abstract

This article develops theoretically an integrative analytical construct (InMeDiT Capital, acronym for informational, media, digital and technological capital) derived from Pierre Bourdieu’s social field theory framework to expand its conceptual capacity to interpret and explain specific relational dynamics within a hyper-digitised social context that directly affects families. Based on Bourdieu’s social field theory, different types of classic capital and other more novel types (informational, media, digital, or technological) have been defined. The characteristics of 21st-century society require that the latter be addressed from an integrative perspective. Methodologically, the work is based on a critical and systematic review of the literature. Based on this analysis, a process of conceptual abstraction and theoretical modelling was carried out that can be described as phenomenological in its attempt to capture the depth of the concepts. This consisted of (1) defining the ontological and relational assumptions of the original framework, (2) isolating the analytical mechanisms relevant to the phenomenon under study, and (3) reorganising these elements into a coherent conceptual structure. The result is an updated conceptual framework (InMeDiT Capital) that maintains epistemological consistency with social field theory, but introduces a novel conceptual articulation through its hybridisation, the dimensions that comprise it, and an operational framework for diagnosing and mobilising capital in the family context.