As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to seep into more areas of society and culture, critical social perspectives on its technologies are more urgent than ever before. Bringing together state-of-the-art research from experienced scholars across disciplines, this Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of critical AI studies. Moving beyond narrow technological definitions of AI, the Handbook provides readers with an in-depth understanding of its social, ethical and political implications. Chapters cover a broad range of timely issues related to AI, including the risk of bias and discrimination in its systems, its impact on democracy and governance, concerns surrounding privacy and surveillance, and the use of its technologies in decision-making processes. Underscoring the urgent need for deeper critical analyses of AI, the Handbook constitutes a major contribution to the ongoing discussion about what critical studies of AI can entail, what questions they may pose, and what concepts they can offer to address them. Rich in theoretical and empirical analysis, this cutting-edge Handbook will prove an invaluable resource for students and scholars of digital sociology and science and technology studies. Its extensive coverage of this emerging field will also appeal to practitioners, developers and policymakers seeking orientation in the complex social and political dynamics of AI.

What does it mean to live in a digital society? Does social media empower political activism? How do we form and express our identity in a digital age? Do algorithms and search engine results have a social role? How have software and hardware transformed how we interact with each other? In the early 21st century, digital media and the social have become irreversibly intertwined. In this cutting-edge introduction, Simon Lindgren explores what it means to live in a digital society. With succinct explanations of the key concepts, debates and theories you need to know, this is a must-have resource for students exploring digital media, social media, media and society, data and society, and the internet. "An engaging story of the meaning digital media have in societies. The writing is relatable, with diverse and comprehensive references to theories. Above all, this is a fun book on what a contemporary digital society looks like!" - Professor Zizi Papacharissi, University of Illinois at Chicago Simon Lindgren is Professor of Sociology at Umea University in Sweden. He is also the director of DIGSUM, an interdisciplinary academic research centre studying the social dimensions of digital technology.

We live in an age of artificial intelligence (AI). Machines think and act in ever more complex ways, increasingly making prognoses, suggestions, and decisions on our behalf. Whilst AI might be seen as practical and profitable, issues of data surveillance, algorithmic control, and sexist and racist bias persist. In this rapidly changing landscape, social analysis of AI risks getting scaled down to issues of ‘ethics’, ‘responsibility’ and ‘fairness’. While these are important issues, they must be addressed not from an ‘AI first’ perspective, but more thoroughly in terms of power and contention.   In this book, AI is approached from the perspective of critical social theory – an often-muted voice in this discussion. It provides a much-needed intervention on how both old and new social theories aid in approaching and conceptualising the social consequences of AI. It poses questions about the ideologies driving AI, the mythologies surrounding AI, and the complex relationship between AI and power. Simon Lindgren, a leading scholar of digital technology and society, provides a way of defining AI as an object of social and political critique, and guides the reader through a set of contentious areas where AI and politics intersect. In relation to all of these areas, critical theories are drawn upon both as an argument for and an illustration of how AI can be critiqued.   Given the opportunities and challenges of AI, this book is a must-read for students and scholars in the humanities, social sciences and STEM disciplines.

This book is about online subcultures thriving in the border zones between pop cultural and political engagement. Combining classic theories of space, power and resistance with current case studies of digital piracy, online activism and remix culture, the book develops a cultural theory of social movements in the digital age.

This book is about online subcultures thriving in the border zones between pop cultural and political engagement. Combining classic theories of space, power and resistance with current case studies of digital piracy, online activism and remix culture, the book develops a cultural theory of social movements in the digital age.

We live in an age of artificial intelligence (AI). Machines think and act in ever more complex ways, increasingly making prognoses, suggestions, and decisions on our behalf. Whilst AI might be seen as practical and profitable, issues of data surveillance, algorithmic control, and sexist and racist bias persist. In this rapidly changing landscape, social analysis of AI risks getting scaled down to issues of ‘ethics’, ‘responsibility’ and ‘fairness’. While these are important issues, they must be addressed not from an ‘AI first’ perspective, but more thoroughly in terms of power and contention.   In this book, AI is approached from the perspective of critical social theory – an often-muted voice in this discussion. It provides a much-needed intervention on how both old and new social theories aid in approaching and conceptualising the social consequences of AI. It poses questions about the ideologies driving AI, the mythologies surrounding AI, and the complex relationship between AI and power. Simon Lindgren, a leading scholar of digital technology and society, provides a way of defining AI as an object of social and political critique, and guides the reader through a set of contentious areas where AI and politics intersect. In relation to all of these areas, critical theories are drawn upon both as an argument for and an illustration of how AI can be critiqued.   Given the opportunities and challenges of AI, this book is a must-read for students and scholars in the humanities, social sciences and STEM disciplines.

The distinction between online and offline realities is becoming more and more difficult to sustain. As computer-mediated communication evolves and as interaction becomes more and more dependent on the Internet, social, cultural, and political aspects begin to get caught and entangled in the web of contemporary digital communication technologies. Digital tools and platforms for communication are progressively becoming commonplace, while the cultural conceptions that surround these technologies-immediacy, constant accessibility, availability-are becoming increasingly mainstream. Hybrid Media Culture is an interdisciplinary exploration of how the online and the offline interact in present-day culture. In the aftermath of all-encompassing perspectives on 'postmodernisation' and 'globalization', there is now a pressing need for scholars of new media and society to come to terms with issues of place, embodiment, and materiality in a world of 'virtual' flows and 'cyber' culture. This book explores ways of conceptualizing the intricate intermingling of the online and the offline through case studies of hybrid media places, including: user-generated videos about self-harm; visibility, surveillance and digital media; digital communication tools and politics; and physical and virtual churches. This interdisciplinary edited collection investigates the effects of the internet and digital culture on perceptions and uses of identities, bodies and localities. It will be of interest to students and scholars of digital culture, sociology, media and communications studies, new media, body studies, politics, and science and technology studies.

What does it mean to live in a digital society? Does social media empower political activism? How do we form and express our identity in a digital age? Do algorithms and search engine results have a social role? How have software and hardware transformed how we interact with each other? In the early 21st century, digital media and the social have become irreversibly intertwined. In this cutting-edge introduction, Simon Lindgren explores what it means to live in a digital society. With succinct explanations of the key concepts, debates and theories you need to know, this is a must-have resource for students exploring digital media, social media, media and society, data and society, and the internet. "An engaging story of the meaning digital media have in societies. The writing is relatable, with diverse and comprehensive references to theories. Above all, this is a fun book on what a contemporary digital society looks like!" - Professor Zizi Papacharissi, University of Illinois at Chicago Simon Lindgren is Professor of Sociology at Umea University in Sweden. He is also the director of DIGSUM, an interdisciplinary academic research centre studying the social dimensions of digital technology.