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WEEK 1 Homework __My interests in digital sociology

When I first came across the term digital sociology, the words that immediately came to mind were algorithm, social media, stratification, inequality—and finally, exaggeration. In my country, China, the “digital turn” is everywhere: digital payment, digital education, digital healthcare. But I cannot help wondering: is this entirely a good thing?

We should be cautious of assuming that “our” digital lives are universal. In reality, due to economic conditions, geography, age and so on, not everyone experiences technology in the same way. Digital infrastructures often mask inequality rather than erase it. As Kate Orton-Johnson, Prior and Gregory (2015) argue, the digital is not a neutral abstraction, nor a panacea—it is relational, social, and embedded. Digital sociology is not about fetishizing technology as a determining force, but about studying the local practices that bring digital technologies and social relations into being.

My Interests

My main interest in digital sociology lies in how social media reshapes the experience of loneliness. Platforms were once celebrated as spaces of connection, but as Papacharissi (2012) reminds us, self-presentation online is always a performance for multiple audiences. In China, many Gen Z users curate a “safe self” under the pressure of context collapse, where family, colleagues, and strangers coexist on the same screen. This negotiation often intensifies feelings of isolation.

A second theme is the transformation of friendship, relationship and network. The rise of dazi culture in China shows how young people seek functional companionship—a gym buddy, a study partner, a “milk-tea mate.” These modular ties reveal the fragility of Gen Z intimacy, where “situationships” replace long-term commitments. Such relationships raise new questions about how intimacy and loneliness are redefined in digital contexts.

Finally, I am interested in how loneliness is stratified through the digital divide. Digital technologies create many new opportunities—for example, rural live-streaming provides new income streams—but they also obstruct opportunities for others. Older adults are disadvantaged by digitized healthcare, while poorer children rely on phones as digital childcare, creating new forms of isolation. These examples suggest that loneliness in the digital age is not only emotional but also structured by class, geography, and age.

In short, my interest is not simply in whether digital technologies make people lonelier, but in how platforms reconfigure the very forms of loneliness: through self-performance, modularized friendship, and unequal digital access.

Exciting Topics

From the slides, some keywords captured my attention immediately. What excites me most is the theme of self and identity, especially how it is socially constructed through digitally mediated communication. I am fascinated by how digital technologies reshape how people see the world, relate to friends, and—perhaps  importantly—form intimate relationships. I was also drawn to discussions of networks, social capital and friendship.

My Own Research

I want to explore two directions in my own research. The first is identity formation in digital contexts. As Joseph (2023) points out, algorithms do not merely recommend content but actively shape identity. They filter and rank information that influences interests, politics, and emotional or gender identities. In this sense, identity online is not only performed, as Papacharissi (2012) noted, but also continuously optimized and differentiated by algorithmic systems.

The second is loneliness across different groups. The experience of loneliness varies by age, class, and sexuality. For sexual minorities or older adults, digital spaces may both connect and exclude. In an atomized world, where everyone longs to love and be loved, loneliness often generates crises of trust and authenticity. At the same time, I am curious about the rise of the “loneliness economy,” where anything that fills emotional gaps is quickly commodified. The popularity of chatting with ChatGPT shows how easily people turn to digital companionship. I hope to investigate whether digital products can create commercial value while avoiding the production of further anxiety and negative emotions.

My Hopes

First, I want to strengthen my skills in computing and digital methods. As Angus Bancroft has noted, computers and cloud infrastructures offer convenience but also risks. I hope not only to use digital tools to analyze and predict social structures, but also to emphasize autonomy—to avoid being enslaved by tools, and instead use them to understand the entanglements that shape human life.

Second, I want to deepen my understanding of social and historical contexts. Every transformation is rooted in broader histories and structures, and building a strong theoretical foundation is essential. I hope to conduct research that is both rigorous and socially relevant.

Sources

Kate Orton-Johnson, Nick Prior and Karen Gregory (2015) Sociological Imagination: Digital Sociology and the Future of the Discipline

Joseph, J. (2023). The algorithmic self: how AI is reshaping human identity, introspection, and agency.

Papacharissi, Z. (2012). Without you, I’m nothing: Performances of the self on Twitter. International Journal of Communication, 6, 1989–2006.

Angus Bancroft (2025) Ethics of the interface and the right to risk – Self trust, self computing and disability

 

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