Do We Need a Sociology of the Digital?

Following the recent formation of the new ISA thematic group TG10 - digital sociology, this panel session discusses whether sociology can make unique contributions to the study of “the digital” and, if yes, what those contributions are and could be. Hence, the session aims for a conceptual engagement with sociology as a discipline and the past, present and future of digital sociology as a field of study. The session, therefore, does not aim for a discussion of how sociology can use digital means for empirical research but rather for an exploration of “the digital” as a topic of sociological inquiry. This inquiry can involve a wide variety of approaches, ranging from the reinterpretation of sociological classics and the expansion of traditional research domains to include digital aspects, to the development of completely new theories and research fields. BY the same token, the session would then also further the development of a sociological understanding, if not definition, “the digital”.