Digital Social Science

The Oxford Internet Institute (OII) is a world-leading, multidisciplinary research and teaching department dedicated to the social science of the Internet. Digital connections are now embedded in almost every aspect of our daily lives, and we have unprecedented access to a huge volume of rich social data. Research on individual and collective behaviour online is crucial to understanding our social, economic, and political world. Our multidisciplinary faculty and graduate students operate at the cutting edge in developing new theories, concepts and methods to study the societal implications of internet technologies and AI.

Research at the OII focuses on areas critical to the public interest and has had a significant impact on policy debate, formulation and implementation around the globe. OII faculty were among the first to draw the world’s attention to “fake news” and defined the concept of “big data”. They have undertaken ground-breaking research into technology and wellbeing using real-time industry data and persuaded major global firms to adopt new methods and practices. OII researchers developed the first global ratings system for firms operating in the gig economy and have had a significant role in influencing the online harms debate in the UK.

OII researchers have been funded by dozens of organisations including the major UK research councils (ESRC, EPSRC, AHRC), Wellcome Trust and British Academy, as well as international bodies including OECD and UNESCO and foundations such as Ford, Huo, Dieter Schwarz and GIZ. The department also has strong relations and long-running collaborations with academic partners in the Alan Turing Institute, TUM-Heilbronn, University of Sheffield, University of Reading and WZB (Berlin Social Science Centre), as well as many collaborators in industry including Google, Meta and Microsoft.

Our teaching directly benefits from all these research collaborations, which give our students access to cutting edge research and researchers involved in data science and a digitally connected world. Students play an active role in generating the OII’s vibrant research culture, through involvement with research projects and participation in weekly internal research seminars and an impressive programme of lectures and seminars.

At the OII students have the opportunity to learn from and build their networks through collaborations with visiting PhD students hosted at the OII through the Recognised Students Programme and the Summer Doctoral Programme. The Institute also has a large network of collaborations formalised through its Visiting Research Fellow and Visiting Policy Fellow schemes, which have brought over 100 international collaborations from academia, government and industry to OII.