What Is Digital Sociology? - (What Is Sociology?) by Neil Selwyn (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The rise of digital technology is transforming the world in which we live. Our digitalized societies demand new ways of thinking about the social, and this short book introduces readers to an approach that can deliver this: digital sociology.

Neil Selwyn examines the concepts, tools and practices that sociologists are developing to analyze the intersections of the social and the digital. Blending theory and empirical examples, the five chapters highlight areas of inquiry where digital approaches are taking hold and shaping the discipline of sociology today. The book explores key topics such as digital race and digital labor, as well as the fast-changing nature of digital research methods and diversifying forms of digital scholarship.

Designed for use in advanced undergraduate and graduate courses, this timely introduction will be an invaluable resource for all sociologists seeking to focus their craft and thinking toward the social complexities of the digital age.

Review Quotes

"This is an insightful and informative contribution to the burgeoning literature on digital sociology, recognizing what is distinctive about it while acknowledging what it shares with other fields."
Mark Carrigan, University of Cambridge

"Neil Selwyn's book is a valuable introduction to the emerging subfield of digital sociology, which it seeks to locate both in an established sociological tradition and in very contemporary research. The book's approach, readability, pace and tone will make it very attractive to students as a source for debate, elaboration or contention."
Karen Gregory, University of Edinburgh

"[An] excellent introduction to digital sociology, particularly for undergraduate and postgraduate students and any sociologist curious about the field's scope and purpose."
Huw Davies, LSE Review of Books

"Selwyn makes clear how the focus on the digital requires particular attention outside of existing theories and areas of exploration. Selwyn excels at asking key questions of sociological inquiry in the [...] areas of networks, platforms, big data, and algorithms."
Information, Communication and Society

About the Author