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Accessibility statement
Qualification dates
StartEnd
03 Oct 2026Jun 2027
Technology has always been a part of society, but the digital revolution of recent decades means that we are living through a period of particularly rapid change. This module is for anyone curious about the societal impacts of digital technology. Throughout the module, you'll learn core sociological theory that will help you unpack and understand the societal, political and environmental impacts of digital technology. You'll consider digital societies in relation to three broad technological themes: individuals and society, power and inequality, and people and things.
This module explores the digital revolution and its impact on society. Three core sociological themes will lead your investigation: individual and society, power and inequality, and people and things. These themes broadly correspond to the sociological ideas and real-life examples presented to you across the four blocks of the module, where you'll consider digital technologies using ideas developed in sociology. In these blocks, you'll explore:
Block 1: Everyday Life and the Digital

This block begins by considering the ‘sociological imagination’. Using examples of technology through history, you'll start to understand how the problems individuals face relate to wider issues in society. You'll learn and apply sociological ideas such as ‘The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life and Capital' to further explore how people relate to one another on social media.
Block 2: Society, Technology, Citizens, and Cities

You'll begin by thinking about what makes a city smart and then consider perspectives on technology, migration and transnational communities.
Block 3: Humans and Machines

This block looks at issues related to automation, artificial intelligence, and agency. This will equip you with the ideas to consider the impacts of automation on individuals and society.
Block 4: Uses and Abuses of the Digital

In this final section, we introduce you to the idea of ‘social harm’ and present some issues related to the environmental impacts of technology production, cybercrime and cybersecurity, misinformation, algorithms and inequality, and social media and mental health.
These topics will be illustrated using a range of audio, video, textbook and interactive materials.
The module gives you the opportunity to discuss its ideas and arguments in a range of online activities, workshops and assessment tasks. You'll also be given skills and training to help you communicate your ideas in academic and professional settings.
As this is an OU level 2 module, it would be advantageous if you have completed an OU level 1 social sciences module as a solid foundation. However, this module serves as an introduction to sociology and would be suitable for anyone wishing to develop a critical understanding of technology and society.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the module, please speak to an adviser.
You’ll get help and support from an assigned tutor throughout your module.
They’ll help by:
Online tutorials run throughout the module. While they’re not compulsory, we strongly encourage you to participate. Where possible, we’ll make recordings available.
Course work includes:
You’ll be provided with the textbook, Understanding Digital Societies, and have access to a module website, which includes:
The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone, and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying DD218 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.
To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact us or visit our Disability support website.
Understanding digital societies starts once a year – in October.
This page describes the module that will start in October 2026.
We expect it to start for the last time in October 2032.
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