Digital Society

The term Digital Society refers to the profound transformation of social life by digital technologies. It captures how our interactions, identities, and communities are increasingly mediated through digital platforms and data-driven systems. In a digital society, technology influences not only how people communicate and access information but also how they engage with institutions, form collective norms, and exercise their rights. This concept is essential for understanding the interplay between digital technologies and the social fabric they shape. Recent developments include:

The rise of generative AI and its implications for misinformation, intellectual property, and creative labor.
Growing global concerns about digital divides, particularly in access to broadband, skills, and opportunities for marginalized communities.
Challenges to digital rights, including internet shutdowns, content moderation controversies, and algorithmic biases that reinforce social inequalities.
The expansion of social media regulation, with debates over its role in shaping public discourse, democracy, and social cohesion—including in the face of online harms such as cyber-bullying or radicalization.

Studying digital society is critical because it enables us to reflect on the evolving relationship between technology, individuals, and communities. As technologies become more pervasive, questions about equity, inclusivity, privacy, and justice arise. Exploring these issues helps illuminate the broader societal impacts of technological change, including both its promises and its perils.

The Digital Society cluster addresses these challenges, exploring how digital technologies shape, and are shaped by, social norms, behaviors, and rights. It examines the intersection of technology with issues such as equity, inclusion, privacy, and democratic participation. In a world increasingly mediated by digital platforms, questions about freedom of expression, algorithmic accountability, digital surveillance, and the ethics of AI loom large.