From birth registers to passports to court systems and prisons, states have mobilized technology to survey their citizens and subjects. Today, such capacity is increasingly wielded by private corporations, at times in concert with or at the behest of states. This research field concerns the use of technology—by states or by corporations—to track populations.
From Katrina to Covid-19, disasters often exacerbate disparities, and can have disproportionate effects on different populations. Differences in available infrastructure, long-term support, and economic security are made starker under conditions of stress, as in natural disasters, pandemics, and within conflict zones.
This research field focuses on the mechanisms by and through which constitutions, laws, and regulations are leveraged by tech companies and by citizens. Special attention is paid to the ethical principles that underlie ostensibly neutral legal and digital codes, as well as how these interact in society.
Recent scholarship has focused on a variety of digitally manifested threats to democratic institutions. Yet it is important not to lose sight of the democratizing potential of digital media and technology, which have also provided crucial platforms for different groups of people. Given digital platforms’ increasing importance and influence, this research field considers how civil society is mobilized through and against digital technologies.
In recent years, increasing proportions of our social lives—from social media to education to gaming platforms—have been conducted online. As we are thrust into ever more digitally mediated social milieu, the nature and design of the platforms and infrastructures that facilitate or constrain these experiences take on increasingly salient social and political importance.
From “artificial intelligence” to the “dark web,” metaphors shape how we perceive, understand, and use technology. Narratives about technology tend to reflect the perceptions of the people who design them. This research field considers how representations—from language to art to design—may limit or augment the potential of technology.
Strides in technology have fueled rapid innovation in medical practices, data collection and analysis techniques, health businesses, and regulation, ushering in a new era of digital health. As health information is increasingly generated and shared outside of traditional medical contexts, this research field considers how health technology impacts society.
The world of work has been reshaped by digital technologies, and more change is visible on the horizon. The technologies that have fostered increased connectivity among workers have also resulted in increased surveillance and technological speedups, as platform-based companies work to minimize labor costs and attain a monopoly in their sector. New types of work have been created while other professions confront the possibility of their jobs being automated. This research field focuses on how we can study the scale and scope of these and other technologically mediated challenges facing workers in the twenty-first century.