Science, Technology and Society

This book conducts an in-depth investigation of one of the largest and longest-established insurance industries in Europe: British life insurance. The author draws on over 40 oral history interviews to trace how the sector is changed since the 1970s, a period characterised by rampant financialisation and neoliberalisation.

EPDF and EPUB available Open Access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence. Drawing on empirical data from US and UK as well as the unique example of Nordic countries where there is a high level of confidence in state and media institutions, this book shows how platforms and algorithms are transforming media, journalism and audiences’ civic practices.

EPDF and EPUB available Open Access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence

Drawing on the study of different cities in the Global South, this book explores how data have become a generative force in shaping what cities are, how they are governed and inhabited, especially during times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rob Kitchin explores how data-driven technologies have become essential to society, government and the economy. Blending scholarly analysis, biography and fiction, he demonstrates how data influence our daily lives.

This book explores how digital technologies shape our opinions and interactions, often in ways that limit our exposure to diverse perspectives and therefore can fuel polarization. Drawing on the ancient art of controversy, (arguing all sides of a case) it offers a way to revive public debate as a source of trust and legitimacy in our society.

Taking a life course and generational perspective, this collection examines topics such as work-life balance, transnational families, digital storytelling and mobile parenting. It offers tools that allow for an informed and critical understanding of ICTs and family dynamics.

Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. Drawing on participatory international research, this book argues for a radical transformation in children’s roles in responding, planning and adapting to disasters. It demonstrates how child-centred ways of working will benefit all those involved.

Dissecting 45 million tweets posted by 265.000 users in the five years that followed the Brexit referendum, this book presents an extensive and nuanced analysis of social media manipulation and Brexit.

This timely book critically examines the capabilities and limitations of new areas of biology, especially epigenetics and neuroscience, that are used as powerful arguments for developing social policy in a particular direction, exploring their implications for policy and practice.

Available Open Access digitally under CC-BY-NC-ND licence.

This book analyses the clashes between evidence-based medicine and the dynamics of an increasingly privatised fertility care industry. With a unique focus on "add-on" treatments, it reveals how these controversial treatments are now widespread and can border on hopemongering.

This timely volume tackles the challenges of privacy in the digital sphere, addressing fundamental societal and structural issues from three perspectives: people, practices and politics. Experts from diverse fields provide a valuable contribution to key debates about privacy and data protection, surveillance capitalism and big tech companies.

This transdisciplinary collection engages with key issues of social exclusion, inequality, power and knowledge in the context of COVID-19 for a more equitable and inclusive human future.