Introduction. The aim of the paper is to explore previous research on digital reading in relation to social and digital inclusion. It looks at the more general aspects of reading research and how digital reading research has built upon them or changed the previous approaches.

Method. The main method used for writing the paper is the literature review as mainly published research is analysed. The material for the review was selected from the results of search in Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar databases.

Analysis. The main focus of the analysis lies in the differences of how reading and digital reading are explored in relation to their capacity to address the reduction of inequalities, especially, digital inequalities, what kind of interventions have been used and what methods have been applied in various settings.

Results. The results of the literature analysis are mapped onto the matrix including the concepts of two theories: social cognitive theory and the levels of digital divide to identify those nodes crucial to the planned digital reading interventions.

Conclusion. Digital reading interventions are successful in increasing digital literacy and general literacy skills. The most significant achievement is in the groups with the lowest or absent literacy skills. It may mean that disadvantaged groups with moderate literacy levels may need different digital reading interventions to reach a breakthrough. The digital reading research has extended the concept of reading into the area of device manipulation, navigation within the text and searching of digital texts that brings it closer to information seeking and digital literacy issues.