The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Digitizing sociology: continuity and change in the Internet era

Digitizing sociology: continuity and change in the Internet era
Digitizing sociology: continuity and change in the Internet era
This article outlines and contextualizes the development of digital sociology as an introduction to this e-special issue, charting the development of the field through the pages of the journal, Sociology. In doing so, the article sketches key contours of this rich and varied terrain, accenting how technological innovation has permeated the domains of politics, culture and society. Of central concern has been the intellectual origins of ‘digital sociology’. While first coined in 2009, the article highlights a longer history, noting the continued resonance of modernity’s currents of categorization, ordering and rationality while recognizing the crucial shifts brought by digitally mediated life. The article then discusses landmark articles contributing to the development of digital sociology, beginning with interventions seeking to theorize digital society. We then turn to articles focusing on methodological questions before addressing the digital turn in selected areas of enduring sociological concern including: work and organizations; inequality; migration; activism; communities; emotions; and everyday life. The article concludes with a series of observations regarding potential futures of digital sociological analyses.
Big Data, Internet of Things, affordances, algorithms, datafication, digital divide, digital modernity, ethics, social media, technological change
0038-0385
659-674
Fussey, Peter
091a494f-1e2f-4710-bc51-f670bbe73452
Roth, Silke
cd4e63d8-bd84-45c1-b317-5850d2a362b6
Fussey, Peter
091a494f-1e2f-4710-bc51-f670bbe73452
Roth, Silke
cd4e63d8-bd84-45c1-b317-5850d2a362b6

Fussey, Peter and Roth, Silke (2020) Digitizing sociology: continuity and change in the Internet era. Sociology, 54 (4), 659-674. (doi:10.1177/0038038520918562).

Record type: Article

Abstract

This article outlines and contextualizes the development of digital sociology as an introduction to this e-special issue, charting the development of the field through the pages of the journal, Sociology. In doing so, the article sketches key contours of this rich and varied terrain, accenting how technological innovation has permeated the domains of politics, culture and society. Of central concern has been the intellectual origins of ‘digital sociology’. While first coined in 2009, the article highlights a longer history, noting the continued resonance of modernity’s currents of categorization, ordering and rationality while recognizing the crucial shifts brought by digitally mediated life. The article then discusses landmark articles contributing to the development of digital sociology, beginning with interventions seeking to theorize digital society. We then turn to articles focusing on methodological questions before addressing the digital turn in selected areas of enduring sociological concern including: work and organizations; inequality; migration; activism; communities; emotions; and everyday life. The article concludes with a series of observations regarding potential futures of digital sociological analyses.

Text
Digitizing Sociology UE20 jan 20 - Accepted Manuscript
Download (250kB)

More information

Accepted/In Press date: 19 March 2020
e-pub ahead of print date: 1 June 2020
Published date: 1 August 2020
Additional Information: Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2020. Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
Keywords: Big Data, Internet of Things, affordances, algorithms, datafication, digital divide, digital modernity, ethics, social media, technological change

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 440560
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/440560
ISSN: 0038-0385
PURE UUID: 08eca16e-db46-4e26-a412-4d84a372c16e
ORCID for Silke Roth: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-8760-0505

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 07 May 2020 16:31
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 03:05

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: Peter Fussey
Author: Silke Roth ORCID iD

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×