Dealing with an unstable digital world

In sociology, administrative dematerialization is often approached as a sudden change that generates inequalities in access to rights. This article explores another facet. Drawing on an interview survey of internet users who are more familiar with the written word (n=36), it explores the experience of digitizing procedures with a pragmatic approach that is as close as possible to the handling of the interfaces used to file and collect documents. We first show that the move online is an incremental one, following the evolution of socio-technical devices and according to the administrative life paths of individuals, the infrastructures, and domestic and professional resources at their disposal. We then show the extent to which the progressive digitization of procedures prompts individuals to iteratively investigate what the right thing to do would be. Finally, we show that, at the heart of the ordinary exercise of domestic administrative work, a skill is built up of following steps while remaining wary.