October 18, 2021
Contact: ASA Communications Department, [email protected]
Washington, DC—In the latest issue of American Sociological Association’s online magazine, sociologists examine the various ways technology impacts our lives, bringing forth the many promises that technology presents and explaining how policymakers might address some of the existing challenges technology poses and stem those that may emerge in coming years.
Sociologists are uniquely positioned to understand and influence the implications of technological transformations on communities. What becomes clear through their writings in this latest issue of Footnotes is that technology is socially complex, and its utility and dangers are dependent on how accessible it is and how it’s deployed by people.
The authors and article topics and in this issue of Footnotes titled “Technology’s Role in Society: It’s Complicated” are:
- Sharla Alegria, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto on artificial intelligence, algorithmic bias, and the lack of diversity in tech.
- Denise Anthony, Professor, Sociology and Health Management and Policy at the University of Michigan on technology and inequality, surveillance, and privacy during the pandemic.
- Kishonna L. Gray, Associate Professor, Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Studies, University of Kentucky and Brigitte Perkins, Graduate Student, University of Kentucky on how Black cyberfeminism is a critical intervention to explore hybrid gaming cultures.
- Jeffrey Lane, Associate Professor of Communication and Affiliate Graduate Faculty of the Sociology Department at Rutgers University and Fanny A. Ramirez, Assistant Professor of Media Law at the Louisiana State University on social media and the criminal justice system.
- Dhiraj Murthy, Professor, School of Journalism and Media and Department of Sociology at the University of Texas at Austin on the need to think critically about social media.
- Andrew J. Nelson, Professor of Management and Randall C. Papé Chair in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Oregon on the relationship between technology and jobs.
- Michael L. Siciliano, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Queen’s University on the shifting separations among work, leisure, and intimacy in the context of remote work.
- Julia Ticona, Assistant Professor of Communication, Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania on how digital inequality is playing out in the world of work.
- Elizabeth Wissinger, Professor of Sociology, BMCC/CUNY, and Professor of Liberal Studies, Fashion Concentration, City University of New York Graduate School and University Center on the implications for wearable tech, especially in relation to race, class, and gender.
If you are interested in finding out more about these sociologists or topics, contact Preeti Vasishtha, Director of Communications, (202) 247- 9872, [email protected].
About the American Sociological Association and Footnotes
The American Sociological Association, founded in 1905, is a nonprofit membership association dedicated to serving sociologists in their work, advancing sociology as a science and profession, and promoting the contributions to and use of sociology by society. Footnotes, ASA’s quarterly member magazine, showcases sociologists’ perspectives on relevant and topical themes, and includes news and information related to ASA and the discipline of sociology.