IB Digital Society 1.1A Introduction to Digital Society Notes

1.1A Introduction to Digital Society

What the Course Is

1. Digital Society is an individuals and societies subject, alongside history, geography, and economics. It studies how digital systems affect people and communities.
2. It is a social-science course: you study a system like a recommendation feed or facial recognition closely enough to weigh its effect on people, without building it.
3. A computer scientist works out how a delivery app plans its routes. In Digital Society the question is different: what the app does to courier pay and to the restaurants it lists.

A Contested Subject

1. Digital society is a contested term: people disagree on what it includes and on whether its developments are good or bad.
2. Contested: does social media foster tolerance or entrench tribalism? It gives isolated groups a voice. It also rewards outrage and pulls people into hostile camps. Which effect dominates depends on the users and the case you look at.
3. Exam consequence: a strong answer weighs competing evidence and reaches a supported, qualified conclusion. Handing down a flat verdict scores poorly.

The Framework: Concepts, Content, Contexts

1. Every inquiry combines three sets of seven: concepts, content, contexts.
2. Concepts (7 lenses): change, expression, identity, power, space, systems, values and ethics.
3. Content (7 digital systems): data, algorithms, computers, networks and the internet, media, artificial intelligence, robots and autonomous technologies.
4. Contexts (7 settings): cultural, economic, environmental, health, human knowledge, political, social.
5. Combine, never study alone: a ride-hailing platform (algorithms + data) examined through power (platform vs driver) in the economic context is one inquiry. Swap the lens to space and the context to cultural and the same platform yields a separate inquiry.