The social science struggle with digital power
Part of what we do as social scientists is uncovering the hidden mechanisms that box people in and keep them from gaining more control over their lives - an emancipatory impulse, if you will. As more and more of our life is shifted onto digital tech and platforms, however, tracing the tentacles of power gets increasingly hard.
Why the digital society needs the social sciences (more than ever)
The social sciences have a hard time. Many countries shrink science and education budgets. When they do spend extra money, governments concentrate it on the natural and computer sciences, afraid to lose out against out against countries in a putative tech race. In the meantime, the social sciences are suspected of not adding much to society. Without ready evidence of useful “impact”, whole fields look like superfluous luxuries.