Digital social capital as a factor of spatial adaptation: regional communities of Russia in a new geopolitical context
Relevance. In the context of the transformation of geopolitical space and the restriction of traditional channels of interregional interaction, digital practices are becoming a key factor in the restructuring of territorial connectedness. Digital social capital acts not merely as a technological supplement, but as a mechanism for the spatial adaptation of regional communities, compensating for the deficit of physical mobility and external economic ties. The scientific problem lies in identifying the conditions under which digital capital transforms from a tool of individual communication into a resource of collective resilience, as well as in assessing the contradiction between its adaptive potential and the risks of digital fragmentation of territories. Scientific results. Based on an interdisciplinary theoretical analysis and expert survey data, a working definition of digital social capital is formulated as a resource of regional communities that integrates digital competencies, platform-mediated connections, and norms of network trust. It is revealed that its adaptive function is realized through hybrid online-offline practices, enabling communities to overcome spatial constraints and diversify channels of resource exchange. It is shown that the effectiveness of digital capital depends on its embeddedness in local norms of reciprocity, while its limitation remains the uneven digital development of regions, which creates risks of spatial marginalization.
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Khripkova, D. V., Khripkov, K. A., Soloviev, D. Yu., Yurkova, O. N., Solovieva, N. E. (2026), “Digital social capital as a factor of spatial adaptation: regional communities of Russia in a new geopolitical context”, Research Result. Sociology and Management, 12 (4), 116-129. DOI: 10.18413/2408-9338-2026-
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The study was carried out within the framework of the State Assignment Project, FZWG-2026-0048, “Digital Social Capital as a Factor in Enhancing the Resilience and Innovation Potential of Regional Communities in Russia: Formation, Construction, and Reproduction”.