What Do We Mean When We Talk About a Good Digital Society?
by the Digital Good Network (Scott Hale, University of Oxford; Rhianne Jones, BBC Research & Development, Helen Kennedy, University of Sheffield; Rachel Middlemass, Zinc VC; Abigail Millings, Sheffield Hallam University, Gina Neff, University of Cambridge; Jonathan Corpus Ong, University of Massachusetts Amherst; Reema Patel, Elgon Social Research, Dan Richards, Lancaster University; Kim Snooks, Lancaster University and Sara Wajid, Birmingham Museums Trust; Ros Williams, University of Sheffield)
- Year
- 2024
- Publisher
- The British Academy
- Number of pages
- 8
Summary
In this paper, we argue that, in order to think about the possibilities of a good digital society, we need to consider what we mean when we use this phrase. This is because a good digital society is ill-defined and contested, despite being widely assumed as a goal, and the resulting lack of consensus is demonstratively harmful. The Digital Good Network is leading work in this area, examining how the term ‘good’ is used and understood in digital contexts, in order to answer the urgent questions: what does a good digital society look like? How do we get there?
In this paper, we map out the scale and nature of this task, whilst elaborating on what we believe to be the necessary conditions of moving towards a good digital society. First we summarise important debates and contributions. Then we identify three societal challenges which need to be addressed in order to arrive at a good digital society: equity, resilience and sustainability. We conclude by making three recommendations for future directions of travel: listen to diverse users; consider context; and take a principles-based approach.