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Reshaping Social Reality: Digital Societies and the Data-Based Approach

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A special issue of Societies (ISSN 2075-4698).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 10688

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Felice Addeo

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Guest Editor

Department of Political Science and Communication, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Interests: social research methodology; digital social research; innovative approaches in social research methods; digital inequalities; digital addictions

Dr. Gabriella Punziano

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Guest Editor

Department of Social Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80138 Napoli, Italy
Interests: social research methodology; digital social research; innovative approaches in social research methods; communication analysis
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Digital technologies and data-driven approaches are reshaping the landscape of modern societies. From social interactions to policy-making, the influence of big data and algorithmic decision-making has penetrated nearly all facets of human life. This special issue, Reshaping Social Reality: Digital Societies and the Data-Based Approach, explores the deep changes in social structures, behaviours, and realities brought about by the emergence of the so-called digital age.

The purpose of this issue is to critically examine how Data-Based methodologies and digital technologies are transforming traditional social science domains such as sociology, social statistics, anthropology, social psychology, economy, marketing, organization, history, philosophy, social engineering, STS studies, and related disciplines. By engaging with both theoretical and empirical work, this issue will explore the consequences of data-driven technologies on social research, governance, public discourse, and everyday life. We welcome contributions that address the opportunities, challenges, and biases that accompany the rise of digital societies from a social science perspective.

We invite submissions on a wide range of topics related to digital societies and the data-based approach, including but not limited to:

Digital Data and Social Theory: Examining how big data and algorithms reshape foundational social theories and concepts.
Algorithmic Governance and Social Control: Investigating how algorithms are used in governance, from social media moderation to public policy and surveillance.
The Role of Digital Platforms in Shaping Social Identities and Choices: Exploring how online platforms shape identities.
Ethics of Data-Driven Research: Addressing the ethical challenges posed by the widespread use of digital data in social research.
Digital Inequalities and Access to Technology: Analyzing how digital tools exacerbate or mitigate social inequalities.
Data Quality and Bias in Digital Social Research: Investigating methodological challenges in ensuring data quality and reducing bias in digital social research.
Big Data and Public Opinion: Exploring how data-driven processes shape public opinion, misinformation, and polarization in digital societies.
The Impact of AI and Machine Learning on Social Dynamics: Examining how AI-driven tools affect interpersonal relationships, communities, and institutions.
Digital Labor and the Data Economy: Assessing the implications of digital technologies for labor markets, gig work, and the commodification of data.
Data-Driven Policy for Sustainable Development: Exploring the role of digital data in fostering more sustainable, equitable policy-making across sectors like tourism and urban development.

We welcome papers from a broad range of disciplines, including sociology, social statistics, political science, digital humanities, and related fields. Submissions should offer original research or theoretical contributions that critically engage with the theme of digital societies and the data-based approach.

The digital transformation of society has generated an unprecedented amount of data, offering new opportunities and challenges for social research. As we move into an era where data-driven methodologies influence not only scientific inquiry but also social realities themselves, it becomes crucial to critically assess the intersection of data, technology, and society. This special issue aims at exploring the scientific background of this intersection, with a focus on how digital societies reshape traditional social science concepts like identity, inequality, and governance.
The goal of this special issue is to bring together diverse perspectives from sociology, social statistics, and related fields to analyze the impact of data-based approaches on social research. By focusing on both theoretical insights and empirical studies, we hope to highlight the significance of this topic for understanding contemporary social dynamics and for advancing the methodological tools used in social research.
We encourage submissions on the following themes:
- Epistemological and methodological challenges in data-driven social research;
- The ethics of digital data usage in social sciences;
- Digital inequalities and the societal impact of new technologies;
- Algorithmic governance and its implications for democracy;
- Data quality and bias in social statistics.

We look forward to your contributions that will help deepen our understanding of how digital societies and data-driven methodologies are reshaping the social world.

In this Special Issue, Contributions have to follow one of the three categories of papers, article, conceptual paper or review, of the journal and address the topic of the special issue.

Prof. Dr. Felice Addeo
Dr. Gabriella Punziano
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as conceptual papers are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Societies is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

digital society
innovative approaches in social research methods
digital social research
data-based approach
algorithmic governance
social inequalities
digital inequalities
ethics in digital research
digital addictions

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review, Other

22 pages, 987 KB

Open AccessArticle

Critical, Qualitative and Situated: Pedagogical Initiatives in a Datafied Society

by Riccardo Pronzato and Ana Kubrusly

Societies 2025, 15(9), 263; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15090263 - 19 Sep 2025

Viewed by 324

Abstract

Social researchers have extensively examined the systematic role played by digital platforms, algorithms and datafication processes in shaping social life. In response to the overwhelming power asymmetries, datafication processes and extractive conditions imposed on users, different scholars have emphasized the need for educational initiatives that foster forms of critical digital literacy. This article explores how critical pedagogical approaches can be embedded into research and teaching practices to support the analysis of everyday media experiences. Specifically, we discuss four case studies drawn from our prior and ongoing research on youth: (i) the use of autoethnographic diaries; (ii) the constitution of youth juries; (iii) the development of a critical digital literacy educational manual; (iv) the implementation of interactive workshops. We contend that these interventions share three key elements, i.e., a critical theory stance, a qualitative orientation, and the cultivation of situated knowledge, the intertwinement of which can promote instances of critical awareness and reflexivity, challenging the individualism and resignation frequently characteristic of contemporary digital life. We use this set of cases to offer a practical, multi-level approach for researchers and educators, showing how the theoretical principles of critical pedagogy can be put into concrete practices, addressing critical digital literacy across different levels. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reshaping Social Reality: Digital Societies and the Data-Based Approach)

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18 pages, 634 KB

Open AccessArticle

Hikikomori 2.0: A Mixed Method Investigation to Reconceptualization the Social Withdrawal in the Digital Age

by Vincenzo Esposito and Felice Addeo

Societies 2025, 15(9), 260; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15090260 - 17 Sep 2025

Viewed by 422

Abstract

This study reconceptualizes the hikikomori phenomenon in light of the digital revolution, examining the extent to which online practices shape the dynamics of social withdrawal. The primary objective is to assess whether the digital sphere constitutes a structural component of the contemporary hikikomori experience. The research employed a three-phase sequential design: a 33-item online questionnaire administered to a stratified sample of 399 parents of children in isolation for at least six months, with a 100% completion rate; a non-participant netnographic observation conducted within a single Telegram group, consisting of one month of silent observation followed by six months of formal observation between late May and early November 2023, during which membership declined from 121 to 89 and approximately 90,000 messages were produced and subsequently analyzed through an inductive narrative lens; and a Delphi consultation involving 21 experts (psychologists, psychiatrists, educators, and researchers), conducted across three rounds—two of which were qualitative—interpreted with the same analytic framework. The findings underscore the growing significance of the online dimension in defining the hikikomori experience. Survey data indicate that the majority of individuals in withdrawal, both primary and secondary, maintain online relationships. Netnographic evidence highlights how the digital sphere functions as a form of selective and mediated sociability, simultaneously serving as both refuge and bridge. Delphi results converge in recognizing digital engagement as a structural component of the phenomenon and further delineate configurations of semi-withdrawal. Taken together, the three phases point to a paradigmatic shift: from an “offline” hikikomori to a digital hikikomori, in which the Internet is no longer a compensatory pastime but rather a central dimension that reshapes daily routines, social ties, and identity processes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reshaping Social Reality: Digital Societies and the Data-Based Approach)

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16 pages, 251 KB

Open AccessArticle

Comparison of Online Probability Panels in Europe: New Trends and Old Challenges in the Era of Open Science

by Luciana Taddei, Dario Germani, Nicolò Marchesini, Rocco Paolillo, Claudia Pennacchiotti, Ilaria Primerano, Michele Santurro and Loredana Cerbara

Societies 2025, 15(8), 210; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15080210 - 29 Jul 2025

Viewed by 611

Abstract

Online Probability Panels (OPPs) have emerged as essential research infrastructures for social sciences, offering robust tools for longitudinal analysis and evidence-based policy-making. However, the growing role of the Open Science movement demands systematic evaluation of their compliance. This study compares major European OPPs—including LISS, GESIS, the GIP, ELIPSS, and the Swedish and Norwegian Citizen Panels—focusing on their practices of openness, recruitment, sampling, and maintenance. Through a qualitative analysis of public documentation and methodological reports, the study examines how their diverse approaches influence data accessibility, inclusivity, and long-term usability. Our findings highlight substantial variability across panels, reflecting the interplay between national contexts, governance models, technological infrastructures, and methodological choices related to recruitment, sampling, and panel maintenance. Some panels demonstrate stronger alignment with Open Science values—promoting transparency, interoperability, and inclusive engagement—while others operate within more constrained frameworks shaped by institutional or structural limitations. This comparative analysis contributes to the understanding of OPPs as evolving knowledge infrastructures and provides a reference framework for future panel development. In doing so, it offers valuable insights for enhancing the role of OPPs in advancing open and socially engaged research practices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reshaping Social Reality: Digital Societies and the Data-Based Approach)

18 pages, 246 KB

Open AccessArticle

Adaptive Epistemology: Embracing Generative AI as a Paradigm Shift in Social Science

by Gabriella Punziano

Societies 2025, 15(7), 205; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15070205 - 21 Jul 2025

Viewed by 2519

Abstract

This paper examines the epistemological transformation prompted by the integration of generative artificial intelligence technologies into social science research, proposing the “adaptive epistemology” paradigm. In today’s post-digital era—characterized by pervasive infrastructures and non-human agents endowed with generative capabilities—traditional research approaches have become inadequate. Through a critical review of historical and discursive paradigms (positivism, interpretivism, critical realism, pragmatism, transformative paradigms, mixed and digital methods), here I show how the advent of digital platforms and large language models reconfigures the boundaries between data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Employing a theoretical–conceptual framework that draws on sociotechnical systems theory, platform studies, and the philosophy of action, the core features of adaptive epistemology are identified: dynamism, co-construction of meaning between researcher and system, and the capacity to generate methodological solutions in response to rapidly evolving contexts. The findings demonstrate the need for reasoning in terms of an adaptive epistemology that could offer a robust theoretical and methodological framework for guiding social science research in the post-digital society, emphasizing flexibility, reflexivity, and ethical sensitivity in the deployment of generative tools. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reshaping Social Reality: Digital Societies and the Data-Based Approach)

20 pages, 472 KB

Open AccessArticle

by Roberto Graziano

Societies 2025, 15(6), 150; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15060150 - 28 May 2025

Viewed by 1903

Abstract

This research proposes an update of the use of the concept of “habitus”. In continuity with Wacquant, I suggest using habitus not only as an object of investigation, but also as a methodological tool, reintroducing it for qualitative studies of digital sociology. Additionally, it can be used as an analytical tool to guide the selection of cases of analysis in empirical research. The aim of this study is to provide researchers with a methodological tool in their toolbox that can apply categorizations that can guide the entire research process to interpret social differences and, consequently, the positions that subjects occupy in the social field through critical reconstruction. This study intends to use the concept of habitus, taking the following scheme into account: [(habitus)·(capital) + Field] = practice. However, the scheme is updated through the use of new indicators that are suitable for describing and categorizing subjects and their hybrid interaction in digital platforms, as well as in autochthonous contexts. For this reason, this study has provided an integration of new forms of capital with the classic ones identified by Bourdieu. In this study, habitus will be defined as “popular habitus”, i.e., a rigorous effort that is useful for finding the tools capable of determining which subjects are symbolically categorized in a “popular” representation of the self and in their practical predispositions, as well as which are not. Furthermore, through empirical examples, the capacity of the tool to understand the interaction between digital platforms and social subjects is highlighted, as well as the way in which this interaction contributes to shaping identities and social choices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reshaping Social Reality: Digital Societies and the Data-Based Approach)

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17 pages, 1910 KB

Open AccessArticle

AI Response Quality in Public Services: Temperature Settings and Contextual Factors

by Domenico Trezza, Giuseppe Luca De Luca Picione and Carmine Sergianni

Societies 2025, 15(5), 127; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15050127 - 6 May 2025

Viewed by 912

Abstract

This study investigated how generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems—now increasingly integrated into public services—respond to different technical configurations, and how these configurations affect the perceived quality of the outputs. Drawing on an experimental evaluation of Govern-AI, a chatbot designed for professionals in the social, educational, and labor sectors, we analyzed the impact of the temperature parameter—which controls the degree of creativity and variability in the responses—on two key dimensions: accuracy and comprehensibility. This analysis was based on 8880 individual evaluations collected from five professional profiles. The findings revealed the following: (1) the high-temperature responses were generally more comprehensible and appreciated, yet less accurate in strategically sensitive contexts; (2) professional groups differed significantly in their assessments, where trade union representatives and regional policy staff expressed more critical views than the others; (3) the type of question—whether operational or informational—significantly influenced the perceived output quality. This study demonstrated that the AI performance was far from neutral: it depended on technical settings, usage contexts, and the profiles of the end users. Investigating these “behind-the-scenes” dynamics is essential for fostering the informed governance of AI in public services, and for avoiding the risk of technology functioning as an opaque black box within decision-making processes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reshaping Social Reality: Digital Societies and the Data-Based Approach)

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Review

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12 pages, 214 KB

Open AccessReview

User Spatial Content in Social Research: Approaches, Opportunities, and Challenges

by Ciro Clemente De Falco

Societies 2025, 15(4), 96; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15040096 - 8 Apr 2025

Viewed by 617

Abstract

The availability of user-generated spatial data (user spatial content, USC) has transformed social science research, enabling the real-time, large-scale exploration of socio-spatial dynamics. This article traces the evolution from volunteered geographic information (VGI) to USC, highlighting their multidimensional nature and epistemological significance. Brief examples underscore USC’s potential for capturing the interplay between territorial factors, digital activity, and social phenomena, ranging from mapping urban vitality to tracking large-scale crises. However, the recent tightening of data access in the post-API era demands a rethinking of research approaches. Alternatives such as data donation, dedicated applications, and geoparsing can maintain the viability of USC-driven analyses. Overall, this article underlines the need for diversified, ethical, and methodologically sound strategies to harness USC’s value in understanding the digitally intertwined realities of contemporary society. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reshaping Social Reality: Digital Societies and the Data-Based Approach)

Other

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26 pages, 555 KB

Open AccessConcept Paper

Do We Need a Voice Methodology? Proposing a Voice-Centered Methodology: A Conceptual Framework in the Age of Surveillance Capitalism

by Laura Caroleo

Societies 2025, 15(9), 241; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15090241 - 30 Aug 2025

Viewed by 530

Abstract

This paper explores the rise in voice-based social media as a pivotal transformation in digital communication, situated within the broader era of chatbots and voice AI. Platforms such as Clubhouse, X Spaces, Discord and similar ones foreground vocal interaction, reshaping norms of participation, identity construction, and platform governance. This shift from text-centered communication to hybrid digital orality presents new sociological and methodological challenges, calling for the development of voice-centered analytical approaches. In response, the paper introduces a multidimensional methodological framework for analyzing voice-based social media platforms in the context of surveillance capitalism and AI-driven conversational technologies. We propose a high-level reference architecture machine learning for social science pipeline that integrates digital methods techniques, automatic speech recognition (ASR) models, and natural language processing (NLP) models within a reflexive and ethically grounded framework. To illustrate its potential, we outline possible stages of a PoC (proof of concept) audio analysis machine learning pipeline, demonstrated through a conceptual use case involving the collection, ingestion, and analysis of X Spaces. While not a comprehensive empirical study, this pipeline proposal highlights technical and ethical challenges in voice analysis. By situating the voice as a central axis of online sociality and examining it in relation to AI-driven conversational technologies, within an era of post-orality, the study contributes to ongoing debates on surveillance capitalism, platform affordances, and the evolving dynamics of digital interaction. In this rapidly evolving landscape, we urgently need a robust vocal methodology to ensure that voice is not just processed but understood. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reshaping Social Reality: Digital Societies and the Data-Based Approach)

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