Socioligy in the Age of ‘Artificial Sociality’: Search of New Bases
Rezaev А.V.
Dr. Sci. (Philos.), Chairperson of Comparative Sociology Department, St. Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia. rezaev@hotmail.com
Starikov V.S.
Cand. Sci. (Sociol.), Researcher at the Department of Sociology, St. Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia. starikov.valentin@gmail.com
Tregubova N.D.
Cand. Sci. (Sociol.), Assistant Professor of Comparative Sociology Department, St. Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia. n.tregubova@spbu.ru
Work on this paper was supported by Russian Science Foundation, porject No. 18-18-00097.
Rezaev А.V., Starikov V.S., Tregubova N.D. Socioligy in the Age of ‘Artificial Sociality’: Search of New Bases . Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2020. No 2. P. 3-12
Interrelations between artificial intelligence and human beings outline one of the most exciting fields in contemporary social inquiry. This paper aims to stimulate discussion among professional sociologists regarding new social reality that the authors call “artificial sociality”. The paper brings in suggestions concerning theoretical and methodological frames for studying artificial sociality. It also attempts to proceed beyond various understandings of the Internet and online culture to the practice of interactions and social intercourse in reality of artificial sociality. The paper examines the ways in which artificial sociality might be exercised in identifiable sociological research. It also criticizes a self-conception of sociology as “weak” science that is always late in considering technological transformations. The paper argues that sociology has powerful theoretical tools to analyze artificial sociality; however, the social science should proactively change hand in hand with the changes in social reality.