DIGITAL CAPITAL: IMPORTANCE FOR SOCIAL STATUS IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY AND ANTECEDENTS OF ITS ACCUMULATION

•Choice-based conjoint experiment and questionnaire using 2044 participants representative of German Internet population.•Empirical evidence supporting digital capital as a fundamental capital that significantly determines social status.•Status-enhancing effect similar to that of cultural capital, but less pronounced than for economic and social capital.•Factors influencing digital capital accumulation: digital upbringing, digitally savvy friends, gender, education, and age. Choice-based conjoint experiment and questionnaire using 2044 participants representative of German Internet population. Empirical evidence supporting digital capital as a fundamental capital that significantly determines social status. Status-enhancing effect similar to that of cultural capital, but less pronounced than for economic and social capital. Factors influencing digital capital accumulation: digital upbringing, digitally savvy friends, gender, education, and age.