Key Concepts 2.6 Systems in Digital Society

2.6A: Systems as Structural Framework in Digital Society

• Digital ecosystems: Interconnected technological environments in digital society

• Socio-technical structures: Human-technology arrangements in digital society

• Platform architectures: Organisational design of digital society services

• Computational infrastructures: Foundational technology supporting digital society

• Network topologies: Connection patterns in digital society systems

• Digital governance frameworks: Rule structures in digital society

• Information hierarchies: Knowledge organisation in digital society

• Technical standardisation: Order through common protocols in digital society

2.6B: Interconnections in Digital Society Systems

• Digital interoperability: Communication between different components in digital society

• API ecosystems: Connection points between services in digital society

• Data flows: Information movement between system elements in digital society

• Network effects: Value increase through connection in digital society

• Digital supply chains: Linked production processes in digital society

• Interdependent platforms: Services relying on each other in digital society

• Cross-platform integration: System bridging in digital society

• Digital feedback loops: Circular influence patterns in digital society

2.6C: Consequences of System Changes in Digital Society

• Digital disruption: System upheaval through innovation in digital society

• Technological externalities: Spillover effects in digital society systems

• Algorithmic cascade failures: Connected breakdowns in digital society

• Unintended digital consequences: Unexpected outcomes in digital society systems

• Digital path dependency: How previous choices constrain digital society options

• System resilience: Adaptability to disturbance in digital society

• Digital butterfly effects: Small changes with large impacts in digital society

• Technological lock-in: System resistance to change in digital society

2.6D: System Visualisation in Digital Society

• Digital system mapping: Visual representation of connections in digital society

• Data visualisation: Information display techniques in digital society

• Network graphs: Connection diagrams in digital society systems

• System dashboards: Real-time monitoring interfaces in digital society

• Digital twins: Virtual replicas modelling systems in digital society

• Agent-based modelling: Simulating system behaviour in digital society

• Process flowcharts: Sequential operation maps in digital society

• Interactive system models: Dynamic visual tools in digital society

Theories and Frameworks

Systems Thinking and Complexity in Digital Society

• Digital complexity theory: Understanding emergent patterns in digital society

• Cybernetic principles: Control and communication in digital society systems

• System dynamics modelling: Feedback and flows in digital society

• Digital emergence: Unexpected system properties in digital society

• Adaptive digital systems: Self-adjusting technologies in digital society

• Complex digital networks: Multi-layered connections in digital society

• Digital equilibrium states: Stability points in digital society systems

• Nonlinear digital interactions: Disproportionate relationships in digital society

Sociological Theories Applied to Digital Society

• Digital structural functionalism: How systems maintain order in digital society

• Technological conflict theory: Competing interests in digital society systems

• Online symbolic interactionism: Meaning creation in digital society

• Digital stratification: System-based inequality in digital society

• Technological determinism: How systems shape outcomes in digital society

• Digital social construction: How society shapes technology in digital society

• System reproduction: How digital society patterns perpetuate

• Digital anomie: Normlessness in changing digital society systems

Actor-Network and Rhizomatic Frameworks in Digital Society

• Digital actor-network theory: Human-nonhuman assemblages in digital society

• Technical mediation: How technology transforms action in digital society

• Digital rhizomes: Non-hierarchical connections in digital society

• Technological agency: System elements as actors in digital society

• Digital translation: Transformation across network points in digital society

• Hybrid digital collectives: Mixed human-technical groups in digital society

• Technological inscription: How values embed in digital society systems

• Digital assemblages: Heterogeneous groupings in digital society

Key Thinkers

• Donella Meadows: Systems thinking principles applied to digital society

• Bruno Latour: Actor-network theory in digital society contexts

• Gilles Deleuze & Félix Guattari: Rhizomatic thinking in digital society networks

• Norbert Wiener: Cybernetics foundations relevant to digital society

• Niklas Luhmann: Social systems theory applied to digital society

• Herbert Simon: Complex systems and bounded rationality in digital society

• Manuel Castells: Network society as system in digital society

• Melanie Mitchell: Complexity science in digital society contexts

• Jane Bennett: Vital materialism in digital society assemblages

• Donna Haraway: Cyborg systems in digital society

• Paul Edwards: Infrastructure as system in digital society

• Lucy Suchman: Situated action in technological systems in digital society

• Albert-László Barabási: Network science in digital society systems

• Susan Leigh Star: Boundary objects in digital society systems

• John Law: Material-semiotics in digital society networks

Digital Technology Examples

System Types in Digital Society

• Operating systems: Foundational software environments in digital society

• Cloud computing ecosystems: Distributed service networks in digital society

• Internet infrastructure: Connection backbone of digital society

• Social media platforms: Communication systems in digital society

• E-commerce networks: Digital marketplace systems in digital society

• Surveillance assemblages: Monitoring networks in digital society

• Smart city systems: Urban technology integration in digital society

• Blockchain networks: Distributed ledger systems in digital society

System Technologies in Digital Society

• Internet of Things: Connected device networks in digital society

• Artificial intelligence ecosystems: Machine learning systems in digital society

• Big data architectures: Information processing systems in digital society

• Digital payment infrastructures: Financial transaction systems in digital society

• Content delivery networks: Media distribution systems in digital society

• Cyber-physical systems: Bridging digital and material in digital society

• Microservice architectures: Modular service systems in digital society

• Recommendation engines: Preference systems in digital society

System Applications in Digital Society

• Digital health networks: Medical information systems in digital society

• Online education ecosystems: Learning platforms in digital society

• Smart transportation systems: Mobility networks in digital society

• Digital supply chains: Logistics systems in digital society

• Energy management networks: Resource allocation in digital society

• Content moderation systems: Governance frameworks in digital society

• Digital identity infrastructures: Authentication systems in digital society

• Environmental monitoring networks: Ecological tracking in digital society

Questions for Further Exploration

1. How do emergent properties manifest in complex digital society systems?

2. In what ways do digital systems challenge traditional notions of human agency?

3. How do different stakeholders influence system design in digital society?

4. What ethical frameworks should guide the development of inclusive systems in digital society?

5. How might decentralised technologies transform system structures in future digital society?