Ori Schwarz - Sociological Theory for Digital Society

1 Title page Sociological Theory for Digital Society The Codes that Bind Us Together Ori Schwarz polity

2 Copyright page

3 Acknowledgements

4 1. Introduction: Old disciplines, new times, revised theories

5 2. When Interactions Become Objects: Rethinking symbolic interactionism in the post-situational order

6 3. When Networks Materialize: Rethinking social ontology beyond the individual and the collective

7 4. When Social Capital can be Invested: Rethinking social capital

8 5. When Power is Exercised through Algorithms: Rethinking power under generative rulers

9 6. When Labour is Everywhere: Rethinking work in the era of workless labour

10 7. Conclusion: Sociological theory for the future

11 References

12 Index

13 End User License Agreement

1 Cover

2 Contents

3 1. Introduction: Old disciplines, new times, revised theories

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Ori Schwarz

polity

Copyright © Ori Schwarz 2021

The right of Ori Schwarz to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

First published in 2021 by Polity Press

Polity Press

65 Bridge Street

Cambridge CB2 1UR, UK

Polity Press

101 Station Landing

Suite 300

Medford, MA 02155, USA

All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-4296-3

ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-4297-0 (pb)

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Schwarz, Ori, 1979- author.

Title: Sociological theory for digital society : the codes that bind us together / Ori Schwarz.

Description: Cambridge, UK ; Medford, MA : Polity Press, 2021. | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Summary: “How to rethink social theory in our digital times”-- Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021005391 (print) | LCCN 2021005392 (ebook) | ISBN 9781509542963 (hardback) | ISBN 9781509542970 (hardback) | ISBN 9781509542987 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Sociology. | Information society. | Online social networks. | Information technology--Social aspects.

Classification: LCC HM585 .S3776 2021 (print) | LCC HM585 (ebook) | DDC 303.48/33--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021005391

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021005392

Typeset in 10.5 on 12.5pt Sabon

by Fakenham Prepress Solutions, Fakenham, Norfolk NR21 8NL

Printed and bound in the UK by TJ International Ltd

The publisher has used its best endeavours to ensure that the URLs for external websites referred to in this book are correct and active at the time of going to press. However, the publisher has no responsibility for the websites and can make no guarantee that a site will remain live or that the content is or will remain appropriate.

Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, but if any have been overlooked the publisher will be pleased to include any necessary credits in any subsequent reprint or edition.

Jacket image © Robert Hodgin. This digital mirror objectifies social life, bringing together images taken in different times to create a digitally curated representation of the self.

For further information on Polity, visit our website: politybooks.com

Over the years I discussed the ideas and arguments developed in this book with many people. I am grateful to all of them, but I am especially indebted to Rogers Brubaker and Dan Kotliar, who closely read earlier drafts of the manuscript. This book has been enormously improved by their smart comments and generous suggestions, as well as by the helpful feedback and suggestions of the anonymous readers for Polity, whom I also thank wholeheartedly. Some ideas presented in this book are completely new, others build on and develop insights from my earlier work on the sociology of digital society, but all of them have benefited greatly from countless conversations over the years with colleagues, including Eran Fisher, Eva Illouz and Guy Shani (with whom I co-authored an article discussed in chapter 2), and students, especially Inbar Michelzon-Drori and Sagit Festman. I could not ask for more supportive colleagues than those I have at Bar-Ilan University’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology. I also wish to thank everyone at Polity Press for their dedicated and professional support, advice and encouragement – it has been a pleasure to work with you all – and particularly to Jonathan Skerrett, who believed in this project from the very first moment, even before I did; and Fiona Sewell, for her careful copyediting. Last but not least, my love and gratitude go to Hila Keren, with whom I share my life, of which this book has happened to constitute a significant part for quite a while; her support and feedback were invaluable.