A sociologia digital: Um desafio para o século XXI

Abstract

The dissemination of new kinds of communication based on digital technologies have changed dramatically the characteristics of culture and society, modifying the way we search and produce information. However, the analysis of this phenomenon by the social sciences is still shy and neglect the effects of digital technologies on society and, especially, on sociology itself. This article points to the challenges posed by technological changes to the sociology of 21st century, arguing that it is necessary not only to improve technological aspects of research - for example, command of software for qualitative and quantitative analysis and analysis of digital social networks - but also, and fundamentally, to advance in terms of the epistemological impact of these technologies for the sociological imagination. The first section presents the fundaments of digital sociology. The following describes the phenomenon of mass production of digital data and the challenges that this environment raises for sociology. The third section assesses the implications of the use of software for sociology. The last section makes the case that there is an urgent need for theoretical and methodological update of sociology in the face of mass production of digital data. Finally, it is argued that the future of sociology depends on its technological instrumentation combined with reflection in sight of a new horizon of issues in the digital age.