Abstract

The article focuses on the work of Bourdieu and on how this work is able to offer theoretical insights for the social study of media and technology in everyday life. The article introduces and discusses the concept of «socio-technical capital» as a way to develop the bourdesian framework in a way more sensitive toward the uses of technical devices and technological practices. In the second part, the elements raised in the previous sections are developed through the presentation of an empirical case concerning a peculiar form of music consumption - music listening in high-fidelity (or Hi-Fi): in this case, the adoption of the notion of «sociotechnical capital» is helpful to understand in a deeper way listeners' tastes and practices. In the conclusion, the article discusses the potentialities of the notion of socio-technical capital for other areas of sociology, which more and more often have to deal with the role of technology and digital media within social practices and relationships.