Social Informatics examines the social aspects of computerization, including the roles of information, and communication technologies, in social and organizational change, the design and uses of information communication technologies (ICTs) in social contexts, and the ways in which the social organization of ICTs is influenced by social forces and social and organizational practices.
The intersection of people, information and communication technologies
Subareas
Collective intelligence
Study shared intelligence such as crowdsourcing and online collaboration.
Knowledge sharing
Examine how people create, share, and evaluate information and data, including misinformation and disinformation.
Critical and cultural studies
Analyze ICTs from a critical and cultural perspective, including critical data science.
Online communities
Study of online trolling, communities of practice, and computer-mediated communication.
Cross cultural studies of ICTs
Explore international and cross- cultural aspects of information, people, and ICTs in context.
Social and ethical studies of information
Assess social and ethical issues of ICTs, information and data science.
Gender and ICTs
Investigate sociotechnical issues related to identity, gender and technology.
Social computing and social media studies
Study the interaction between people, information, and ICTs on social media, as well as the study of society, groups, and individuals by computational means.
Associated centers, groups, and labs
- Center for Computer Mediated Communication
- R-House Human-Robot Interaction Lab
- Rob Kling Center for Social Informatics
- Societal Computing Lab