IB Digital Society uses a specific vocabulary that students must understand and apply accurately. Many marks are lost not because students misunderstand digital systems, but because they misuse or vaguely apply key terms. While the course discourages memorisation, clear understanding of terminology is essential for precise analysis and evaluation.

This article provides a student-friendly glossary of essential IB Digital Society terms and explains how they should be used in exams and the internal assessment.

Why Terminology Matters in Digital Society

IB Digital Society is a concept-driven subject. Examiners look for accurate use of terminology to assess understanding.

Correct terminology helps students:

• Communicate ideas clearly
• Apply concepts consistently
• Avoid vague or generic explanations
• Demonstrate subject-specific understanding

Using terms inaccurately can weaken even strong arguments.

Digital System

A digital system is a set of interconnected digital components that collect, process, and use data to produce outcomes.

In Digital Society, a digital system:

• Has defined components
• Operates according to rules or algorithms
• Produces social impacts

Students should always analyse a specific digital system, not “technology” in general.

Algorithm

An algorithm is a set of rules or instructions that a digital system follows to process data or make decisions.

In IB Digital Society, algorithms are analysed for:

• How they influence outcomes
• Whether they reinforce bias
• Who controls their design

Algorithms should be discussed in terms of impact, not technical detail.

Data

Data refers to information collected by digital systems about users, behaviour, or environments.

Key analytical points include:

• What data is collected
• How it is used
• Who controls access

Data analysis often links to power, privacy, and ethics.

Automation

Automation is the use of digital systems to perform tasks with minimal human intervention.

In Digital Society, automation raises questions about:

• Responsibility
• Accountability
• Loss of human judgment

Automation should be evaluated, not assumed to be efficient or neutral.

Power

Power refers to the ability to control, influence, or benefit from digital systems.

Power analysis often involves:

• Who designs systems
• Who controls data
• Who can challenge decisions

Power is one of the most important concepts in the course.

Ethics

Ethics involves evaluating whether digital systems and their impacts are justified.

Ethical analysis considers:

• Harm and benefit
• Fairness and responsibility
• Justification of trade-offs

Ethics is about reasoned judgment, not opinion.

Agency

Agency refers to the ability of individuals to make informed choices and act independently within digital systems.

Loss of agency may occur when:

• Decisions are automated
• Choices are limited or hidden
• Systems manipulate behaviour

Agency is often linked to autonomy and power.

Privacy

Privacy refers to control over personal information and how it is used.

Privacy analysis may involve:

• Data collection practices
• Consent
• Surveillance

Privacy should be evaluated in context, not treated as absolute.

Surveillance

Surveillance is the monitoring of individuals or groups through digital systems.

In Digital Society, surveillance raises issues of:

• Power imbalance
• Consent
• Behaviour modification

Surveillance is not limited to cameras; data tracking is central.

Bias

Bias occurs when digital systems produce unfair or uneven outcomes.

Bias may result from:

• Data used to train systems
• Design choices
• Unequal representation

Bias analysis often connects to ethics and inequality.

Inequality

Inequality refers to uneven distribution of benefits, risks, or access within digital systems.

Students should analyse:

• Who benefits most
• Who is disadvantaged
• Whether inequalities are reinforced

Inequality is often examined at the community level.

Transparency

Transparency refers to how open and understandable a digital system’s processes are.

Lack of transparency can:

• Reduce trust
• Limit accountability
• Concentrate power

Transparency is key to ethical evaluation.

Accountability

Accountability concerns who is responsible when a digital system causes harm or makes decisions.

Strong analysis considers:

• Whether responsibility is clear
• Who can be held accountable
• Whether accountability mechanisms exist

Accountability is essential for ethical judgment.

Change

Change refers to how digital systems transform behaviour, structures, or norms over time.

Change analysis should:

• Identify what has changed
• Explain why
• Consider long-term effects

Change should not be assumed; it must be demonstrated.

Community

A community refers to a group of people affected collectively by a digital system.

Community analysis:

• Goes beyond individual experience
• Considers shared impact
• Examines inequality and social patterns

Community-level thinking is essential for high marks.

Common Terminology Mistakes

Students often weaken responses by:

• Using terms vaguely
• Confusing ethics with opinion
• Treating power as abstract
• Overusing buzzwords

Precise use matters more than volume.

How to Use This Glossary in Revision

Students should:

• Practise defining terms in their own words
• Apply terms to unseen systems
• Use terminology in analytical sentences

Understanding how to use terms is more important than memorising definitions.

Why Terminology Supports High Marks

Clear terminology:

• Strengthens analysis
• Improves evaluation
• Makes reasoning visible

Examiners reward clarity and precision.

Final Thoughts

Mastering key terms in IB Digital Society helps students communicate complex ideas clearly and accurately. This glossary is not a checklist to memorise, but a toolkit to support analysis and evaluation. By using terminology precisely, linking terms to digital systems, and applying them to impacts on individuals and communities, students can significantly strengthen their performance across exams and the internal assessment.