Digital Society Exam Prep: CONTEXT Focus

To succeed in the IB exams, Digital Society students will need to have a good understanding of Contexts. This is a guide to help IB DP DigiSoc students prepare for exams and get TOP MARKS.

IB DP: Digital Society: Contexts

4.1 Cultural

4.2 Economic

4.3 Environmental

4.4 Health

4.5 Human knowledge

4.6 Political

4.7 Social

Two approaches to Self-Study Digital Society Contexts

Self-Study Approach #1 Digital Society Contexts

Digital Society Contexts BIG PICTURE APPROACH ~ How to Self-Study and IB Exam Prep

Create a MIND MAP:

1. Explore one context to develop an understanding (MIND MAP CENTRAL FOCUS)

2. List the digital technology that could be associated with each context (MIND MAP DIGITAL TECH BRANCHES)

3. Explore the tech news to find real-life examples that are associated with this context (MIND MAD REAL WORLD EXAMPLES BRANCHES)

Self-Study Approach #2 Digital Society Contexts

Digital Society Contexts KEY WORD APPROACH ~ How to Self-Study and IB Exam Prep

1. Focus on one Contexts group and explore all key terms.

2. For each key term - be able to define/explain and identify the digital tech associated.

3. Create a MINDMAP or LIST that connects specific Contexts key terms to Concepts and Contents.

4. Read various tech news articles and identify specific Contexts associated with the news articles. Bonus points if you can also identify Concepts and Contents. Alternatively (or additionally) have a Contexts key term in mind and then find news stories that are linked. Here are some good resources for tech news:

   1. BBC Click: https://www.youtube.com/@BBCClick/videos

   2. Reuters Technology: https://www.reuters.com/technology/

   3. Wired: https://www.wired.com/

   4. CNN: https://edition.cnn.com/business/tech

   5. The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/uk/technology

   6. JP Times: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/tech/

   7. The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/

   8. The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/international/section/technology

Self-Study Approach #2 Digital Society Contexts ~ Key Words

4.1 Cultural ~ 4.1A Arts, entertainment and popular culture:

• Pop culture and popular culture

• Digital art genres (e.g., music genres, film genres)

• Digital art creation techniques (e.g. filmmaking techniques, podcast recording and editing)

• Digital art forms (e.g., online novels, video games, digital artwork)

• Online galleries and digital exhibitions

• Streaming platforms (on-demand feature)

• Memes

• Online forums

• Internet celebrities and Influencers

4.1 Cultural ~ 4.1B Home, leisure and tourism:

• Home appliances and "IoT"

• Home services, technologies and smart homes

• Sports broadcasting, eSport and gaming

• Travel & Tourism - online booking systems, flights, trains, hotels, Airbnb, travel blogs

4.1 Cultural ~ 4.1C Heritage, customs and celebrations:

• Rites of passage (e.g., coming-of-age ceremonies, weddings, funerals)

• Cultural heritage and artefacts and the digitization of these

• Customs (traditional vs digital)

• Celebrations

• Languages (and translation apps)

4.1 Cultural ~ 4.1D Subcultures:

• Youth cultures

• Online communities

• Forums

4.2 Economic ~ 4.2A Business:

• Operation and digital organization of businesses

• Business-specific software (e.g. accounting, payroll, POS, marketing, shift management)

• Diversity in businesses and corporations (horizontal, conglomerate, vertical and concentric)

• Discrimination

• Black box algorithms

• Entrepreneurial ecosystems

• Digital economy

4.2 Economic ~ 4.2B Employment and labour:

• Working practices, such as office design, remote working, digital nomadism, and employee organizations

• Crowd work, crowdsourcing, micro work, sharing economy and gig economies

• Automation and employment

• Gamification

4.2 Economic ~ 4.2C Goods, services, and currencies:

• E-commerce, e-trading, and online marketplaces

• Personalized and targeted marketing

• Cryptocurrency, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), cashless society, loot boxes, and micro-transactions

• Additive manufacturing and subtractive manufacturing

• User-centric approach

• Digital transformation initiatives

• Online banking

4.2 Economic ~ 4.2D Globalization:

• Borderless selling and global sourcing

• Offshoring, outsourcing, reshoring, inshoring, and insourcing

• Digital divide, digital poverty, digital exclusion, digital inequalities and digital equity

4.3 Environmental ~ 4.3A Natural resources and ecosystems:

• Renewable and non-renewable energies

• Biodiversity and ecosystems

• Natural resources in digital systems and devices

• Smart cities

• Threats to ecosystems and biodiversity

• Natural events disasters (and all digital technologies associated)

4.3 Environmental ~ 4.3B Pollution and waste:

• Recycling and upcycling

• Waste management

• Types of pollution (air, water, solid, noise, light)

• Green computing, carbon footprint and e-waste

• Planned obsolescence

4.3 Environmental ~ 4.3C Cities, infrastructures and built environments:

• Digital design of urban spaces and cities

• Local and regional infrastructures

• Transportation

• Wayfinding, maps and digital navigation

• Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

• Distribution and delivery systems

4.3 Environmental ~ 4.3D Agriculture:

• Digital tech associated with agricultural production and distribution

4.4 Health ~ 4.4A: Medicine and Health:

• Designing and delivering medical diagnostics digital technology

• Delivering medical care with digital technology

• Medical research and development

• Digital health records

• Monitoring and tracking health

4.4 Health ~ 4.4B: The Human Body & Human Enhancement:

• Bio-hacking

• Implanted technology

• Exoskeletons

• Organ and bio-printing

• Accessibility approaches for people with disabilities

• Ergonomic design

• Transhumanism

• Assistive technology

4.4 Health ~ 4.4C: Mental Health:

• Approaches to understanding mental health and ensuring mental health

• Social media addiction

• FOMO

• Video game addiction

• VRET

• Digital systems and mental health: Attention, addiction and anxiety

4.5 Human Knowledge ~ 4.5A: Learning and Education:

• Formal Education: Design and delivery in schools and remote learning environments

• Non-formal Education: Skill training and competency development

• Post-formal Education: Self-directed learning

• Digital pedagogies

• Social-emotional learning

• Critical thinking skills

• Creative computing

• synchronous and asynchronous learning

• MOOC

• SAMR

• Competency development, behavioural competencies and functional competencies

4.5 Human Knowledge ~ 4.5B: Science and Technology Innovation:

• Open source

• Open innovation

• Citizen scientists

• Research and development

• Paywall

• Freemium

4.6 Political ~ 4.6A Political processes:

• Digital voting and campaigning

• Formal and informal forms of political participation, such as lobbying, political movements and activism

• Political advertising

• Propaganda

• Formal political participation

• Informal political participation

• Political communication

• Political participation

• Political advertising

• Political ads on Facebook

• Antitrust and tech platforms

• Political participation

• Clicktivism

• Election disinformation

• Authenticity

• Digital campaign tools

• Digital campaign strategies

• AI-generated content

• Public awareness

• Digital challenges

• Influencers on political and social media channels

4.6 Political ~ 4.6B Governing bodies:

• Governing bodies

• Organization and role of local, regional, national and global governing institutions

• Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)

• Non-state political actors

4.6 Political ~ 4.6C Conflicts and war:

• Warfare

• Terrorism

• Digital technology as a tool for warfare

• The impact of digital technology on the way wars are fought

• Intelligence gathering and surveillance

• Information operations and propaganda

• Military communication and coordination

• Crowdsourcing information and intelligence

• Cyber attacks and cyber warfare

• The way wars are documented and investigated

• Documenting war crimes

• Decision-making on international levels

• Law works to protect civilians

4.6 Political ~ 4.6D Laws, regulations and policies:

• Cyber crime and lawbreaking

• Surveillance and monitoring

• Public and private policy

• Professional codes

• Rules and regulations

• Laws, regulations, and policies

4.7 Social ~ 4.7A Social Components of Identity:

• International-mindedness

• Common humanity

• Shared experiences

• Goals of people across borders

• Age and demographics

• Expression & Sexuality: A person's sense of self as male, female, or something else, how they express their gender, and their sexual orientation.

• Race & Ethnicity

• Religious Beliefs & Practices

4.7 Social ~ 4.7B Social Class:

• Social Class System (hierarchical structure of society based on factors like income, education, and occupation)

• Intersectionality

4.7 Social ~ 4.7C: Families and Relationships:

• Family formation & connection

• Friendship & companionship

• Online relationships

• Online group memberships

Other Key Terms:

• Social Media: Websites and apps designed for connection and sharing information (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).

• Online Communities: Groups of people with shared interests who connect digitally (e.g., forums, online gaming communities).

• Virtual Worlds: Simulated environments where users can interact with avatars (e.g., Second Life, Metaverse platforms).

• Messaging Apps: Apps for text, voice, and video communication (e.g., WhatsApp, Discord, Telegram).

• Social Networking: Building and maintaining connections through online platforms.

• Digital Identity: The persona you create and present online.

• Virtual Communities: Online spaces fostering a sense of belonging and shared experience.

• Online Collaboration: Working together on projects virtually.

• Social Presence: The feeling of being “there” with others online.

• Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC): Communication through digital tools.

• Cyberbullying: The use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature.

• Digital Divide: The gap between those who have access to technology and those who don't.

• Information Poverty: The lack of access to information and communication technology (ICT) due to social, economic, cultural, and other factors.

• Attention Economy: The idea that attention is a limited resource in the context of the sheer volume of information available through mass media and networked publics.

• Scarcity of Attention: The concept that attention has essentially become a limited resource due to the rise of the marketization of attention.

• Social Exclusion: The concept of social exclusion being multi-dimensional and dynamic, encompassing a variety of diverse measures and subject to change.

• Digital Cooperation: A multi-stakeholder collaboration that seeks to address the social, ethical, legal, and economic impacts of digital technologies in order to maximize their benefits and minimize their harm.

• Digital Inclusion: The process of ensuring those who do not have the skills and ability needed to access and use digital devices and content can do so safely and effectively.

• Digital Literacy: The skills and abilities needed to access and use digital devices, the internet and other ICTs confidently, safely, and effectively.

• Digital Skills: The skills needed to use information and communication technologies to one’s advantage while reducing potential harm coming from digital products, services and business models.

• Digital Transformation: The customer-driven strategic business transformation that requires cross-cutting organizational change as well as the use of digital channels.

• Digital Understanding: A profound comprehension of how digital products, services and business models function beyond the operational level or user interface.