From Digital Divide to Emerging Algorithmic Exclusion: Barriers To Access to Higher Education Among Roma Communities in Bulgaria

Kamelia PETKOVA

doi:10.46841/RCV.2026.03.05

Autori

Kamelia PETKOVA Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46841/RCV.2026.03.05

Cuvinte cheie:

digital divide, algorithmic exclusion, artificial intelligence, Roma communities, higher education, digital inequalities

Rezumat

This study examines how digital inequalities and the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) shape barriers to access to higher education among Roma communities. It aims to identify the mechanisms through which limited digital resources, skill deficits, and increasingly algorithmically mediated systems may contribute to emerging forms of educational exclusion. The analysis is based on a qualitative research approach, drawing on in-depth interviews conducted with members of Roma communities from different types of settlements. The study focuses on access to technologies, the level of digital skills, autonomy in the use of digital resources, and the ability to navigate increasingly digitalised educational environments. The findings show that digital inequalities extend beyond limited access to technologies and encompass informational barriers, dependence on intermediaries, and difficulties in navigating complex digital systems. These factors combine into an accumulating mechanism of exclusion that reduces both the visibility of and the effective access to educational opportunities. In the context of artificial intelligence, these processes may acquire a new dimension, as access to information, services, and educational pathways is increasingly mediated through algorithmic and AI-based systems that require specific digital and AI-related competences. At the same time, the study identifies alternative pathways of inclusion, where higher levels of digital and AI competences, early access to technologies, and the presence of a supportive social environment enable participation in higher education. The findings contribute to the understanding of the transition from the digital divide to emerging algorithmic exclusion, highlighting how AI-mediated systems may become an additional mechanism of social stratification. The study underscores the need for integrated policies aimed at developing digital and AI skills, enhancing user autonomy, and addressing broader social inequalities that shape access to education.

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Biografie autor

Kamelia PETKOVA, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

Institute of Philosophy and Sociology
E-mail: kamelia.petkova@ips.bas.bg
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3108-3887

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