Digital Economy and Society (GSS509)

GSS509 Digital Economy and Society provides an advanced exploration of the digital transformation of the economy. It examines how digital technologies are disrupting traditional business models, creating new market dynamics, and fundamentally restructuring the nature of economic activity. The course takes a critical sociological perspective, investigating how social processes, power relations, and cultural norms continue to shape digital economic life despite the apparent abstraction of online interactions. Students will learn to analyse how digital platforms both reflect and reinforce existing inequalities and hierarchies in society. A central theme is the tension between the social nature of economic life and its digital representation. The course will deconstruct how algorithms, data, and networked connections in digital markets impact society. Students will be given the opportunity to reflect on foundational concepts of economic action, value, and labour in the age of digitalisation. They will engage with the challenges and opportunities of the gig economy, platform capitalism, and algorithmic decision-making. The role of algorithms, collaborative platforms, and the automation of finance will be scrutinised. By the end of the course, students will have a nuanced understanding of the digital economy and its implications for broader social theory. They will be empowered to analyse the evolving landscape of digital markets and contribute to ongoing debates about the future of work, wealth, and power in a hyper-connected world.

• The Evolution of the Digital Economy
• Digital Transformation and Platforms
• Financial Markets and Technology
• Capitalism and Digital Economy
• Social Impact of Digital Economy
• Changing Nature of Work
• Gig Economy
• Digital Labour
• Collaborative Economies
• Ownership and Possession in the Digital World
• Value Creation in the Digital Environment
• Future of Digital Economy

• Evaluate the key theoretical and methodological debates around digital economy
• Analyse the range of the digital economic phenomena
• Examine the various aspects of digital economic life
• Appraise the role of technology and how it shapes the economy
• Discuss concerns with regard to the digital mode of the economy
• Formulate strategies and policies to address challenges related to digital economy