Power in IB Digital Society is studied through global politics, social and cultural anthropology, political science, public policy, philosophy, sociology, and law. These fields provide different ways to investigate who can influence or control others through digital systems. This content is shared by SL and HL students.
The syllabus defines power as a feature of social relations involving a person’s or group’s capacity to influence or control the actions of others. Power may also be structural, embedded in institutions, organizations, and governments, and it is not equally distributed.
| Field | How it helps investigate power in digital society |
|---|---|
| Global politics | Examines how states, international organizations, and digital platforms exercise influence across borders. |
| Social and cultural anthropology | Investigates how digital systems affect power relations within cultures and communities. |
| Political science | Analyses political participation, campaigning, governance, surveillance, and control. |
| Public policy | Studies how governments respond through regulations, policies, and public interventions. |
| Philosophy | Examines ethical questions about authority, freedom, fairness, consent, and responsibility. |
| Sociology | Explores how digital systems reproduce or challenge inequalities between social groups. |
| Law | Considers legal rights, responsibilities, regulation, privacy, and accountability. |
These are not separate syllabus units. They are disciplinary perspectives that help students analyse power within contexts such as political processes, employment, education, or social relationships. For example, a public-policy perspective might examine platform regulation, while sociology might examine which communities benefit from or are excluded by the same policy.
A common misconception is that power only concerns governments. Digital platforms, employers, developers, users, and communities can also exercise power, although their capacity to do so is unequal.
In an exam response, do more than identify a field. Explain how its perspective reveals the distribution of power among at least two stakeholders. For an analyse question, break down the relevant relationships; for an evaluate question, weigh how a digital system enables and constrains different people and communities.
