Conference Sessions

Concerns have emerged over the veracity and validity of information found on the Internet, necessitating critical examination of the impacts of “fake news”, misinformation, disinformation, and media narratives in both online and offline spaces. Indeed, how digital media serve to fundamentally manipulate users based on the interpretation of what one consumes is still a nascent area in sociological research. Therefore, this session highlights theoretical and empirical research that explores the challenges associated with our understanding and interpretation of truth, misinformation, and media narratives in the digital age.

As the sociological study of technology continues to progress, many questions remain unanswered regarding the social implications of digital technologies in our everyday lives and on society-at-large. With this in mind, our annual ITDS general session broadly explores the complex intersections of technology and society by highlighting scholarship that offers new directions and critical contributions to the emerging subfield of digital sociology. This session aims to provide a space for digital sociologists to share their diverse research interests, including presentations on topics of online identity management, emotional expression on social media, AI and disability, locative media, and autonomous vehicles.

The Internet and other digital technologies provide relatively new platforms for experiencing criminal and deviant activities, as well as serve to produce new varieties of ‘victims’ and ‘offenders’. The unique structural conditions in online spaces have also obscured normative expectations, reinforced social inequalities, complicated responses from police and the legal system, and have even called into question the applicability of existing theoretical frameworks to explain offending in this context. These are among the many challenges that require further investigation by cybercrime scholars. To this end, this session highlights current empirical and/or theoretical contributions to the sociological study of cybercrime and online deviance, including topics such as adult cyber-victimization, ransomware victimization, routine online activity theory, digital surveillance for gender-based violence, and mortgage income fraud.

This session presents a comprehensive exploration of the dynamic interplay between digital technologies and activism across various global contexts such as Iran, China, and Ecuador. This multidisciplinary investigation encompasses the study of state repression mechanisms, including digital surveillance and disinformation, and the innovative, decentralized digital mobilization strategies employed by activists worldwide. Overall, the session offers a rich tapestry of research that not only highlights the transformative power of digital tools in activism but also the complex challenges activists face in different political and social contexts. By weaving together these diverse strands of research, the session aims to provide a nuanced understanding of the evolving landscape of digital activism and its implications for the future of social movements and public discourse.

The session offers an insightful exploration into the complex relationship between digital media and social movements, examining how digital platforms influence activism, identity formation, and the radicalization processes within varied social and political contexts. Together, these abstracts weave a narrative that underscores the dual role of digital media as both a facilitator of social movements and a catalyst for radicalization. They shed light on the nuanced ways in which digital platforms shape collective identities, enable the global dissemination of activist movements, and impact the dynamics of radicalization and resistance within organizations. This session promises to provide a rich discussion on the challenges and opportunities presented by the digital age for activism, identity formation, and the fight against extremism.