Bridging Digital Inequality and Education: Exploring the Knowledge Gap through Türkiye’s Lens

Abstract

The rapid development of technology in recent decades has ushered in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, widely known as Industry 4.0. Within this transformation, an educational paradigm referred to as “Education 4.0” has emerged, aiming to align pedagogical practices with the digital and industrial demands of the era. Education 4.0 envisions a system where high-quality education is universally accessible, regardless of age, gender, orientation, ethnicity, religion, or language, through the effective use of digital technologies and the internet. However, the global shift to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed a stark contradiction to this ideal—particularly in countries like Türkiye—where digital infrastructures and socio-economic disparities have exacerbated educational inequalities instead of mitigating them. This study critically examines these emerging inequalities through the lens of digital information gaps within the context of Education 4.0. It interrogates how digital inequality contributes to informational poverty and explores the broader implications for social inclusion within the educational system. Drawing on statistical data from the Turkish Statistical Institute’s (TURKSTAT) Household Information Technologies Usage Survey, the study identifies key parallels between the theoretical expectations of Education 4.0 and the actual lived experiences of digitally disadvantaged individuals. In doing so, it questions whether the deepening digital divide constitutes a new axis of educational stratification that demands more focused sociological inquiry.