Algorithms, AI, Big Data, and Big Tech: IPS Scholarship on Digital Technologies

This paper delves into the debates on digital technologies, algorithms, artificial intelligence, Big Data, and Big Tech in the journal International Political Sociology (IPS). Acknowledging the promises of IPS to challenge the way established problematiqués in international relations (IR) are addressed and reflecting on knowledge production and its implications, it speaks to a general audience in IPS by asking where—and how—phenomena linked to digital technologies are addressed within IPS. I provide a sociology of debates that touch upon digital technologies broadly and link this to the promises of IPS. A citation network and cluster analysis of articles in IPS, therefore, uncovers the orientations within IPS scholarship on digital technologies broadly, showcasing the importance of concepts such as security, surveillance, migration, and risk. It also shows that analytical lenses broaden from Foucault-inspired accounts toward perspectives relying on actor–network theory and practice theories. Drawing from these findings, the paper extrapolates lessons for future research, advocating for a heightened emphasis on including contemporary sociological discussions on digital capitalism. It points to the emphasis of interdisciplinarity and sociology in the name of IPS and offers an illustrative discussion to showcase the potentials that lie in IPS to broaden discussions and perspectives vital for IR generally.