Between digital transformation and relational capital: a sociological analysis of the university experience to rethink policies on the right to education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61007/QdC.2026.1.403Keywords:
digital ecosystem, university, sociological experiment, right to educationAbstract
The paper offers a sociological analysis of university experiences within the digital ecosystem, rethinking the right to education in light of technological transformations and the growing heterogeneity of the student population. Drawing on a quantitative survey conducted in 2021 with 23,372 students enrolled in Italian universities (public, private, and online institutions), the study examines key dimensions of academic life, including socio-demographic conditions, biographical trajectories, relational capital, value orientations, and psycho-relational well-being. The findings show that digitalization, while formally expanding access and flexibility, has reshaped patterns of participation by affecting peer relationships, opportunities for informal social interaction, and students’ sense of belonging. Three recurring configurations emerge, differentiated by living conditions, position within degree cycles, and value orientations (instrumental, symbolic, and relational). These configurations demonstrate that the right to study cannot be reduced to formal access or financial support; rather, it depends on the effective possibility of “being” in the university field through the activation of social capital and symbolic resources. The article therefore proposes a broader conceptualization of the right to education as the right to full, relational, and capability-enhancing participation in academic life, and calls for policies that move beyond redistribution to strengthen integration, recognition, and well-being in increasingly hybrid and digitalised contexts.
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