Tacit social experimentation with digital technologies during the Covid-19 crisis

Area of Science:

• Sociology of Science and Technology
• Public Health Policy
• Bioethics

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid implementation of digital technologies for crisis management.
• Existing biopolitical frameworks were adapted, incorporating novel technological approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the role of digital technologies in COVID-19 crisis management through the lens of
• tacit social experimentation
• ,
• To examine the biopolitical implications of digital technology deployment during the pandemic.
• To explore the ethical and political dimensions of this experimental approach, focusing on participant involvement and democratic control.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of biopolitics and social experimentation.
• Examination of digital technology applications in public health during the COVID-19 crisis.
• Ethical and political critique of experimental public health interventions.

Main Results:

• Digital technologies were employed as instruments for population discipline and knowledge generation under conditions of uncertainty.
• The crisis facilitated an experimental expansion of telemedicine with limited understanding of its side effects.
• The concept of
• tacit social experimentation
• highlights the unacknowledged experimental nature of these interventions.

Conclusions:

• Understanding COVID-19 crisis management requires recognizing the
• tacit social experimentation
• with digital technologies.
• This experimental approach raises critical ethical and political questions regarding informed consent and democratic governance.
• Further ethical and political deliberation is needed on the use of digital tools in public health emergencies.