The Synthetic Society: Processes and Products

Dear Colleagues, 

This Topic explores the emerging concept of the Synthetic Society (Van der Sloot, 2024; Wiederhold, 2025), a contemporary socio-technological configuration in which advanced technologies reproduce—and transform—biological, cognitive, and social processes. From artificial intelligence simulating human reasoning to lab-grown food, synthetic environments, and bioengineered bodies, the synthetic society redefines the boundaries between nature, culture, and technology. This Topic aims to investigate how such developments impact identity, social relationships, consumer behavior, and the human condition more broadly.

We welcome theoretical and empirical contributions on topics including synthetic relationships (e.g., dating apps, AI companions), synthetic environments (e.g., social networks, virtual and augmented environments), synthetic food (e.g., cultivated meat, precision fermentation), synthetic bodies (e.g., bio-technological hybridation, body augmentation, synthetic prosthetics), synthetic intelligence (e.g., ethical AI, algorithmic bias), and synthetic futures (e.g., singularity, control, trans-human scenarios). The complexity of this topic demands consideration from multiple perspectives within the social sciences; therefore, contributions from scholars across diverse disciplines and fields are encouraged.

References:

1. Van der Sloot, Bart. Regulating the synthetic society: Generative AI, legal questions, and societal challenges. Bloomsbury Academic, 2024, 296.
2. Wiederhold, Brenda K. The Rise of Synthetic Societies: Is There a Role for Humans? Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 2025, 28(4), 224–226.

Dr. Francesco La Barbera
Dr. Roberta Riverso
Topic Editors