Algorithms in Society
Sociologists frequently study how people and things are sorted into different categories according to race, gender, income, education, political allegiance, or criminal history. In the contemporary world, such classification often relies on technologies that process large amounts of behavioral, economic, or demographic data to compute credit scores, calculate recidivism risk, determine eligibility for welfare services, allocate police resources, curate news, personalize shopping recommendations and prices, or select matches on dating websites. Those algorithms have social histories and tangible consequences in the world. They can be studied with the tools of sociology; and studying them sociologically can illuminate the intricate links between technology and society.
Surveillance Cultures
The collection of personalized and statistical data is central to the exercise of state power and the functioning of the digital economy. It is also a de-facto reality of life, as our everyday interactions with online platforms and digital tools leave behind extensive and highly personal data imprints. In this course, we will develop an understanding of what can collectively be called “surveillance cultures” by questioning four common claims: (1) that surveillance is a distinctly (post-)modern and digitally enabled form of social control; (2) that the collection of personal and statistical data has become indiscriminate and ubiquitous; (3) that being watched is now a widely accepted way of life that elicits little resistance; and (4) that being visible is a form of imprisonment that undermines personal freedom.