321
Digital Sociology and Sociological Theory: Intersections and Divergences
Digital Sociology and Sociological Theory: Intersections and Divergences
Saturday, 21 July 2018: 12:30-14:20
Location: 718B (MTCC SOUTH BUILDING)
RC16 Sociological Theory (host committee) Language: English
Over the last few years, the rise of digital culture has fostered the proliferation of studies of online forms of social interaction, social media-specific modes of symbolic expression, and digital organizations and platforms. Moreover, digital sociology has become a key field of conceptual and methodological innovation by leveraging data capture and visualization tools to discover social media-based cultural patterns and relational networks impacting social life and institutions more broadly. However, much of this work remains invisible in sociological theory, where sustained reflection on the implications of the digital for our theoretical frameworks has not yet occurred. The session seeks to address this gap by bringing together work in digital sociology and sociological theory, in order to discover the points of intersection and divergence between them. The session thereby welcomes papers using classical and/or contemporary sociological theory to analyze digital culture, employing digital methods to reinterpret the history and current state of sociological theory, developing theoretical perspectives on the basis of digital methods of empirical analysis of the internet and social media platforms, or proposing conceptual frameworks to make sense of online forms of social interaction as well as digitally-based institutions and actors.