IB DP Digital Society HL (STAGE FOUR): Evaluate interventions & recommend steps for future action

Key Digital Tech Theories/Models for IB Digital Society Six Evaluation Criteria

1. EQUITY 📊

Van Dijk's Digital Divide Theory

• Three levels: Access divide → Skills divide → Usage divide

• Key insight: Digital inequality is multi-dimensional, not just about device access

• Application: Analyse who benefits/suffers from interventions across access, skills, and usage

Warschauer's Technology for Social Inclusion Model

• Four pillars: Physical access + Digital literacy + Content/language + Social support

• Key insight: True digital inclusion requires addressing all four simultaneously

• Application: Evaluate intervention design against all inclusion dimensions

Digital Capital Theory (Ragnedda)

• Concept: Digital resources as form of capital (like Bourdieu's cultural capital)

• Key insight: Digital advantages compound, creating new forms of social stratification

• Application: Assess how interventions redistribute or concentrate digital advantages

2. ACCEPTABILITY 🤝

Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) - Davis

• Core factors: Perceived usefulness + Perceived ease of use → Behavioural intention

• Key insight: User acceptance depends on utility/usability perceptions, not objective features

• Application: Evaluate intervention from user perception perspective

Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) - Venkatesh

• Four constructs: Performance expectancy + Effort expectancy + Social influence + Facilitating conditions

• Key insight: Acceptance is contextual, varying by age, gender, experience, voluntariness

• Application: Comprehensive acceptance analysis across user demographics

Contextual Integrity Theory (Nissenbaum)

• Concept: Privacy/acceptability violations occur when information flows violate established social norms and contexts

• Key insight: Acceptability depends on appropriateness within specific social contexts

• Application: Evaluate whether intervention respects existing social norms and expectations

3. COST 💰

Total Economic Impact (TEI) Framework - Forrester

• Components: Benefits + Costs + Flexibility + Risk adjustments

• Key insight: True cost analysis includes quantified flexibility value and risk factors

• Application: Comprehensive cost-benefit analysis including intangible value

Real Options Theory

• Concept: Technology investments create future options, not just immediate value

• Key insight: Digital interventions have option value for future adaptations/expansions

• Application: Value analysis includes future flexibility and adaptation potential

Externalities Framework (Economics)

• Types: Positive/negative externalities, network effects, spillover impacts

• Key insight: True costs include "socio-techno risks" and hidden social/environmental impacts

• Application: Identify costs/benefits borne by non-users or society broadly

4. FEASIBILITY ⚙️

Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs)

• 9 levels: From basic research (TRL 1) to proven operational use (TRL 9)

• Key insight: Technical maturity assessment provides "common framework through which diverse actors can cooperate and communicate"

• Application: Assess technical maturity and implementation readiness

Diffusion of Innovations Theory (Rogers)

• 5 stages: Knowledge → Persuasion → Decision → Implementation → Confirmation

• Key insight: Adoption is a process, not an event; different groups adopt at different rates

• Application: Evaluate social/organizational readiness for intervention adoption

Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) Framework

• Three contexts: Technology context + Organisational context + Environmental context

• Key insight: Feasibility depends on alignment across all three dimensions

• Application: Multi-dimensional feasibility assessment beyond just technical capability

5. INNOVATION 🚀

Disruptive Innovation Theory (Christensen)

• Types: Sustaining innovations vs. Disruptive innovations

• Key insight: Truly transformative innovations often start as "inferior" alternatives

• Application: Classify intervention's disruptive potential and trajectory

Innovation Adoption Lifecycle

• Categories: Innovators (2.5%) → Early Adopters (13.5%) → Early Majority (34%) → Late Majority (34%) → Laggards (16%)

• Key insight: Different user segments have different innovation adoption patterns

• Application: Assess intervention's position in adoption cycle and growth potential

Radical vs. Incremental Innovation Spectrum

• Dimensions: Technological newness × Market newness

• Key insight: Innovation impact depends on both technical novelty and market transformation

• Application: Plot intervention on innovation matrix to assess transformation level

6. ETHICS ⚖️

UNESCO AI Ethics Framework

• 10 principles: Human rights, human agency, transparency, accountability, fairness, sustainability, etc.

• Key insight: Comprehensive ethical framework specifically designed for AI/digital systems

• Application: Systematic ethical assessment against established global standards

Principlist Framework (Beauchamp & Childress)

• Four principles: Autonomy + Beneficence + Non-maleficence + Justice

• Key insight: Core ethical principles applicable across domains, adaptable to digital contexts

• Application: Classical ethical analysis adapted for digital intervention assessment

Value Sensitive Design (VSD) - Friedman

• Approach: Considers "human values in a principled manner throughout the design process"

• Key insight: Values and technology capabilities can create conflicts between actors

• Application: Analyze embedded values and potential value conflicts in intervention design

Privacy Calculus Theory

• Concept: Users "undergo cost-benefit analysis to make privacy decisions"

• Key insight: Privacy decisions are contextual trade-offs, not absolute preferences

• Application: Evaluate ethical trade-offs from user decision-making perspective

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Quick Reference Applications

For 8-mark questions: Choose 2-3 theories, apply systematically

Example: "Using Van Dijk's Digital Divide Theory and TAM, evaluate this intervention's equity and acceptability..."

For 12-mark questions: Integrate multiple theories across criteria

Example: "Apply UTAUT for acceptability analysis, TOE framework for feasibility assessment, and UNESCO principles for ethical evaluation..."

Advanced Integration: Show theory interactions

Example: "While Rogers' Diffusion Theory suggests high innovation potential, Contextual Integrity Theory reveals acceptability challenges that may limit adoption..."

Research Extensions for Students

• Equity: Research Digital Rights frameworks, Platform Capitalism theory

• Acceptability: Investigate Social License to Operate concept, Trust in Technology models

• Cost: Explore Digital Transformation ROI models, Network Economics

• Feasibility: Study Implementation Science, Sociotechnical Systems Theory

• Innovation: Examine Innovation Systems theory, Creative Destruction frameworks

• Ethics: Research AI Governance frameworks, Digital Rights theories

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IB Digital Society Six Criteria: CRAAP-Tested Bibliography

All sources pass CRAAP test criteria (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose)

1. EQUITY

Van Dijk's Digital Divide Theory

Primary Sources:

• van Dijk, J. A. G. M. (2005). The deepening divide: Inequality in the information society. Sage Publications.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - Authoritative foundational text, peer-reviewed academic press, extensively cited (2000+ citations)

• van Dijk, J. A. G. M. (2020). The digital divide. Polity Press.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - Most current edition by original theorist, academic press, incorporates recent digital developments

• van Dijk, J. A. G. M. (2006). Digital divide research, achievements and shortcomings. Poetics, 34(4-5), 221-235.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - High-impact journal article (Impact Factor: 2.5), systematic review of field

Supporting Academic Sources:

• Warschauer, M. (2003). Technology and social inclusion: Rethinking the digital divide. MIT Press.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - MIT Press publication, influential alternative framework, 1500+ citations

• Ragnedda, M. (2017). The third digital divide: A Weberian approach to digital inequalities. Routledge.

  • CRAAP Rating: Very Good - Academic press, contemporary analysis, building on established theory

Contemporary Research Applications:

• Hargittai, E. (2010). Digital na(t)ives? Variation in internet skills and uses among members of the "net generation". Sociological Inquiry, 80(1), 92-113.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - Top-tier sociology journal, empirical validation of digital divide theory

2. ACCEPTABILITY

Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)

Foundational Sources:

• Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319-340.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - Original TAM paper, premier IS journal, 50,000+ citations, fundamental to field

• Davis, F. D. (1987). A technology acceptance model for empirically testing new end-user information systems: Theory and results [Doctoral dissertation, MIT].

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - Original doctoral thesis, MIT, foundational theoretical work

Extensions and Applications:

• Venkatesh, V., Morris, M. G., Davis, G. B., & Davis, F. D. (2003). User acceptance of information technology: Toward a unified view. MIS Quarterly, 27(3), 425-478.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - UTAUT model, premier journal, 20,000+ citations, systematic integration

• King, W. R., & He, J. (2006). A meta-analysis of the technology acceptance model. Information & Management, 43(6), 740-755.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - Meta-analysis, high-impact journal, validates TAM across studies

Contextual Integrity Theory

Primary Sources:

• Nissenbaum, H. (2010). Privacy in context: Technology, policy, and the integrity of social life. Stanford University Press.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - Stanford academic press, foundational privacy theory text, 3000+ citations

• Nissenbaum, H. (2004). Privacy as contextual integrity. Washington Law Review, 79(1), 119-157.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - Law review article, peer-reviewed, theoretical foundation for book

Applied Research:

• Barth, A., Datta, A., Mitchell, J. C., & Nissenbaum, H. (2006). Privacy and contextual integrity: Framework and applications. Proceedings of the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy, 184-198.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - IEEE premier security conference, formal computational approach

3. COST

Total Economic Impact Framework

Primary Sources:

• Forrester Research. (2018). The Total Economic Impact™ methodology overview. Forrester Consulting.

  • CRAAP Rating: Very Good - Industry standard methodology, regularly updated, widely adopted

Academic Applications:

• Brynjolfsson, E., & Hitt, L. M. (2000). Beyond computation: Information technology, organizational transformation and business performance. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 14(4), 23-48.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - Premier economics journal, influential IT value research, 3000+ citations

Network Economics and Externalities

• Shapiro, C., & Varian, H. R. (1998). Information rules: A strategic guide to the network economy. Harvard Business Review Press.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - Harvard Business Press, foundational network economics text, academic standard

• Varian, H. R. (2003). Intermediate microeconomics: A modern approach (6th ed.). W. W. Norton & Company.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - Standard economics textbook, rigorous treatment of externalities

4. FEASIBILITY

Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs)

Official Sources:

• NASA. (2012). Technology Readiness Level. NASA Office of the Chief Technologist.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - Original government standard, regularly updated, global adoption

• European Commission. (2014). Technology readiness levels (TRL) - Extract from Part 19 - Commission Decision C(2014)4995. Horizon 2020 Programme.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - Official EU research framework, current standard

Academic Analysis:

• Olechowski, A., Eppinger, S. D., & Joglekar, N. (2015). Technology readiness levels at 40: A study of state-of-the-art use, challenges, and opportunities. Proceedings of PICMET.

  • CRAAP Rating: Very Good - Engineering management conference, systematic review of TRL usage

Diffusion of Innovations Theory

• Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). Free Press.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - Classic text, 5th edition (most current), 100,000+ citations, foundational theory

Technology-Organization-Environment Framework:

• Tornatzky, L. G., & Fleischer, M. (1990). The processes of technological innovation. Lexington Books.

  • CRAAP Rating: Very Good - Original TOE framework, academic press, widely adopted in IS research

5. INNOVATION

Disruptive Innovation Theory

• Christensen, C. M. (1997). The innovator's dilemma: When new technologies cause great firms to fail. Harvard Business Review Press.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - Harvard Business Press, foundational innovation theory, 15,000+ citations

• Christensen, C. M., & Raynor, M. E. (2003). The innovator's solution: Creating and sustaining successful growth. Harvard Business Review Press.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - Follow-up work, refined theory, academic standard

Contemporary Digital Applications:

• Gans, J. (2016). The disruption dilemma. MIT Press.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - MIT Press, contemporary analysis, applies theory to digital age

6. ETHICS

UNESCO AI Ethics Framework

• UNESCO. (2021). Recommendation on the ethics of artificial intelligence. UNESCO Publishing.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - Official international standard, current (2021), globally adopted framework

Supporting Academic Sources:

• Jobin, A., Ienca, M., & Vayena, E. (2019). The global landscape of AI ethics guidelines. Nature Machine Intelligence, 1(9), 389-399.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - Nature publication, systematic analysis of 84 ethics documents

Classical Ethical Frameworks Applied to Technology

• Beauchamp, T. L., & Childress, J. F. (2019). Principles of biomedical ethics (8th ed.). Oxford University Press.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - Standard ethics text, 8th edition (current), Oxford academic press

• Friedman, B., & Hendry, D. G. (2019). Value sensitive design: Shaping technology with moral imagination. MIT Press.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - MIT Press, foundational VSD text, updated for digital age

Digital Ethics Specifically:

• Floridi, L. (2019). The ethics of information. Oxford University Press.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - Oxford academic press, comprehensive information ethics framework

Interdisciplinary Applications

Privacy Calculus Theory

• Dinev, T., & Hart, P. (2006). An extended privacy calculus model for e-commerce transactions. Information Systems Research, 17(1), 61-80.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - Premier IS journal, empirical foundation for privacy decision-making

Platform Studies and Digital Society

• van Dijck, J., Poell, T., & de Waal, M. (2018). The platform society: Public values in a connective world. Oxford University Press.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - Oxford academic press, contemporary platform analysis

Algorithmic Governance

• O'Neil, C. (2016). Weapons of math destruction: How big data increases inequality and threatens democracy. Crown.

  • CRAAP Rating: Very Good - Accessible academic work, important ethical framework, widely cited

Methodology and Research Design Sources

Mixed Methods Research

• Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2017). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - Standard methodology text, current edition, academic press

Case Study Research

• Yin, R. K. (2017). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). Sage Publications.

  • CRAAP Rating: Excellent - Methodological standard, current edition, widely used in IS research

Key Journals for Current Research

Premier Academic Journals (All CRAAP Rating: Excellent):

• MIS Quarterly - Top IS journal, rigorous peer review

• Information Systems Research - Premier IS journal, high impact factor

• Journal of Information Technology - Leading European IS journal

• Communications of the ACM - Flagship computer science journal

• IEEE Computer - Technical and policy perspectives

• New Media & Society - Digital society research

• The Information Society - Interdisciplinary technology studies

Online Resources for Current Developments

High-Quality Academic Sources:

• ACM Digital Library (dl.acm.org) - Computing research database

• IEEE Xplore (ieeexplore.ieee.org) - Engineering and technology research

• SAGE Research Methods - Methodology resources

• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Rigorous philosophical frameworks

Policy and Standards Organizations:

• OECD Digital Economy Papers - Policy research and frameworks

• European Commission Digital Single Market - Current EU policy frameworks

• UNESCO AI Ethics - International ethical standards

• ISO/IEC Standards - Technical standards for digital systems

Research Strategy for Students and Teachers

Primary Reading Sequence:

1. Start with foundational texts (Davis 1989, van Dijk 2005, Nissenbaum 2010)

2. Add contemporary applications (recent journal articles)

3. Include policy documents (UNESCO 2021, OECD reports)

4. Supplement with case studies (specific intervention examples)

Quality Indicators:

• Academic press publications (MIT, Harvard, Oxford, Sage, Routledge)

• Peer-reviewed journals with high impact factors

• Official standards organizations (UNESCO, OECD, ISO, IEEE)

• Citation counts indicating influence and validation

• Recent editions for currency (within 5 years for tech topics)

CRAAP Test Application:

• Currency: Publication within last 5-10 years for technology topics

• Relevance: Direct application to digital intervention evaluation

• Authority: Academic credentials, institutional affiliation, peer review

• Accuracy: Citation of evidence, replication studies, meta-analyses

• Purpose: Academic/educational rather than commercial bias

IB DP Digital Society HL student doing a CRAAP test.