5th ISA Forum of Sociology (6-11 July 2025)

Digitalisation is closely linked to hypes that promise more than they can deliver and that play with the myths and images of science fiction. While it is often difficult to distinguish between myth and reality, myths also shape the way reality changes. Against this background, this regular session will discuss the myths and realities of digitalisation from a sociological perspective.

Topics to be addressed include:

• Hype or innovation: How can short-lived hypes be distinguished from sustainable innovations? Is there a digital undertow of substantial and long-term changes hidden under superficial trends? And can it be discerned?

• Opportunities to shape the future: Is digitalisation driven by unavoidable technological trends or by the power of a few tech companies? Or is there still a possibility of setting a different direction and developing progressive visions? How can sociological theories help to analyse the power structures shaping digital technologies?

• Myths and realities of technology: Digital hypes use imaginations from film and literature. How do such utopian or dystopian narratives relate to the actual shape of digitalisation in society? How are new images and narratives for a desirable digital future emerging?

• Dialectic of Enlightenment: Artificial intelligence is often seen as a higher form of rationality that avoids human errors and prejudices. However, this belief is itself a myth as AI is trained on biased data using imperfect statistical models. On the other hand, myths make sense of a complex and opaque reality and may demystify the social bias of rational logic.