ABSTRACT
An increasing number of sociologists today are examining the social production of digital technology. Although younger researchers may be digital natives and write from "within the algorithm," and older sociologists may begin by trying to define terms and concepts that have become commonplace in the tech "space," all share the goal of unpacking the "black box" of computer software by analyzing how, where, and by whom it is developed and asking who benefits most by its use. Some of the articles in this special issue of Theory and Society focus on questions of connectivity, privacy, and equity in light of classical sociology's concern with the state, the self, knowledge, and power; others look critically at forms of inequality in the operations of specific platforms, algorithms, urban tech ecosystems, and coworking spaces.
ABSTRACT
The emergence of urban tech economies calls attention to the multidimensional spatiality of ecosystems made up of people and organizations that produce new digital technology. Since the economic crisis of 2008, city governments have aggressively pursued economic growth by nurturing these ecosystems. Elected officials create public-private-nonprofit partnerships to build an "innovation complex" of discursive, organizational, and geographical spaces; they aim not only to jump-start economic growth but to remake the city for a new modernity. But it is difficult to insert tech production space into the complicated urban matrix. Embedded industries and social communities want protection from expanding tech companies and the real estate developers who build for them. City council members, state legislators, and community organizations oppose the city government's attempts to satisfy Big Tech companies. While the city's density magnifies conflicts of interest over land-use and labor issues, the covid-19 pandemic raises serious questions about the city's ability to both oppose Big Tech and keep creating tech jobs.
