Digital technology has revolutionised the world in just a few years: our relationships, our work and even the results of elections – everything seems to follow completely different rules. For sociologist Armin Nassehi, a certain technology is only successful if it solves a fundamental problem. So if digitalisation succeeds in unfolding its potential for change, the question is: What problem does digitisation solve? Among other things, the answer will point out that modern society can be called “digital” in a peculiar way even before the advance of computer technology.
Armin Nassehi is Professor of Sociology at LMU Munich; he researches and teaches in the areas of sociology of culture, political sociology, sociology of religion as well as sociology of knowledge and science. His sociology is mainly based on Niklas Luhmann’s systems theory.