Digitalisierung als Herausforderung für die soziologische Theorie

Abstract

I have examined numerous books with terms like computer revolution or information revolution in their titles. Remarkably, none of these books carefully characterizes computer revolutions analytically or behaviorally. They do not explain how we would know one when we saw it. They usually refer to the pervasiveness of computer systems in social life and suggest that when powerful technologies become commonplace, social life must be altered. I do not mean that a case could not be made. But to my knowledge, no one has tried to make a careful case -indicating what kinds of social relations have been transformed, at what level of social activity, under what conditions, and what has not changed." (Kling 1991, S. 346 f., Hervorh. i. Orig.