About the Centre

Founded in 2022, the Centre for Sociodigital Futures (CenSoF) is a flagship £10m research centre, funded by the ESRC and led by the University of Bristol in collaboration with 12 other Universities in the UK and globally. 

Our aims and purpose

We aim to generate new approaches to fairer and more sustainable societies by exploring sociodigital futures-in-the-making.

To do this, we've assembled a team of experts to investigate what kinds of sociodigital futures are being claimed and made, and who or what is shaping them.

Through our work we’re seeking to understand what impact these possible futures may have upon social and economic inequalities, and in relation to the climate crisis.

This is a new and developing field. We’re building its potential by supporting a new cohort of sociodigital futures expertise through our early career researchers, our visiting fellows programme and by creating tools, methodologies and theoretical frameworks to facilitate wider sociodigital futures research.

How are sociodigital futures shaping the world today?

Our research challenges the idea that there is a single, knowable future. Yet claims about 'the future' are ever-present in society and have an impact in shaping our daily lives.

Find out more about the questions we're asking and explore our approach to sociodigital futures across six key topics:

The challenge of sociodigital futures. In ancient times societies looked to gods and astrologers to predict the future. Who is telling us about the future now? 

Building more socially just sociodigital futures of education. The Edtech industry is transforming how we learn - are we having the right conversations to ensure it’s a change for the better? 

The (problematic) rise of predictive analytics in children's social care. Might the rise of predictive analytics in the UK’s stretched care systems be doing more harm than good?

Communities and their sociodigital futures. What can be learnt from community alternatives to big tech solutions? 

TV and sociodigital futures: a story of continuity and change. How are our behaviours changing as new tech transforms the TV industry?

Digitised borders. New technologies are changing the way our borders are managed. These present challenges as well as opportunities.

Our research

We’re delivering an integrated programme of research looking at how sociodigital futures are being imagined and materialised across different areas of everyday life.

Our research is highly interdisciplinary and by its nature and exists at the intersection of traditional disciplines. Our programme is structured around five Domains of Sociodigital Practice – caring, consuming, learning, moving and organizing – and four key fields of digital innovation, - AI, Immersive, High Performance Networks and Robotics – known as the Technical Affordance Projects.

We are pleased to be working with strategic and academic partners in the UK and overseas to highlight the importance of sociodigital futures research. We see collaboration as critical in allowing us to observe real-time examples of sociodigital futures in the making. Together with our partners, we are undertaking projects exploring a range of areas from the environmental impact of technology through to the shaping of educational sociodigital futures. 

Join our mailing list

Keep up to date by joining our mailing list to receive six-monthly news from across the Centre. 

Sociodigital Futures blog

Read the latest articles on the Centre's blog.

We are examining emerging sociodigital futures, looking at who and what is driving these claims, and what this means for major challenges of our time, including widening inequalities and the climate change crisis. Working with our partners, our goal is to make sociodigital futures accessible in ways that will have direct impact on policy-making, organisational practice, community participation, and technology creation.

Prof. Susan Halford, Co-director

People

Meet the people and expertise behind the Centre.

Research

Find out about our ambitious research programme.

Our partners

Learn about the partners we're working with.

Edit this page