RC51 is the Research Committee on Sociocybernetics of the International Sociological Association.

We aim to promote the development of sociocybernetic theory and research within the social sciences. Sociocybernetics is broadly defined here as applications within the social sciences of first- and second-order cybernetics, general systems theory and the various combinations and variations of these that can be subsumed under the term “the emerging sciences of complexity”.

Read more on RC51 in the about section.

Welcome to RC51 Website

Next Open Online Activity

Open sessions will be organized to meet at regular intervals to discuss current themes of research in the Sociocybernetic framework. The concepts to discuss are chosen taking into consideration the interests of the participants. The activity is based on ideas of co-learning and co-innovation.

The activity was launched in autumn 2024. TIME was chosen as the concept for the first sessions, and during the spring 2025 the concepts of ORDER, COMMUNICATION and SOCIETY were also discussed. As part of the discussions in these sessions, participants have shared many tips for interesting reading.

To gather these more systematically to function as continuous support for the RC51 Open Online Activity, we have created a group library in Zotero: https://www.zotero.org/. This resource was introduced in the session in March, and the participants of the future sessions will be invited to join the group library.

To continue with the activity, three sessions (17.9. & 29.10. & 3.12), will be organized in the autumn 2025 on Zoom at 3:00 – 4:30 pm Finnish time.

In the north autumn, the first session will take place on Zoom at 3:00 – 4:30 pm Finnish time on Wednesday 17th September 2025.

Register in advance (preferably a week before 10th September) for this meeting following this link:
https://hamk.zoom.us/meeting/register/xv_HKy0XQUuKuUsZoxeRCw

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Please, pay attention to the schedule of the session regarding to your own time zone: https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/meeting.html

Join with your view! For an ideal dialogue, please reserve the whole time, if possible! Thoughts, questions and literature relating to the chosen concepts are warmly welcome. The sessions are initiated, led and facilitated, also in form of collaborative documentation of the discussions, by Finnish RC51 members, Mikael Kivelä and Raija Koskinen.

Contact information related to these meetings preferably: raija.koskinen@hamk.fi see also my Häme University of Applied Sciences Finder entry Also reachable with my affiliation in the University of Helsinki: raija.koskinen@helsinki.fi.

Do not hesitate to get in touch if you have questions, comments, or suggestions.

New article in the Journal of Sociocybernetics

A new article in the Journal of Sociocybernetics is out:
Algorithmic Hegemony:
AI, Political Elites, and the Reinvention of Electoral Influence | Klaus BEHNAM SHAD
You can grab the open access full paper following this link.

Newsletter Issue 45

Our Newsletter editor Satoshi IGUCHI (Japan) had made available the latest issue of our beloved RC51 Newsletter. Download it here.

Next Open Online Activity

Open sessions will be organized to meet at regular interval to discuss current themes of research in the Sociocybernetic framework. The choice of concepts to discuss will be made during the process taking into consideration the interests of the participants. Launching this kind of activity is based on ideas of co-learning and co-innovation.

TIME as the chosen concept for the first sessions the autumn 2024 paved way to discussions of ORDER in February as well as to further elaboration of THE RELATIONSHIP OF ORDER and TIME in March. As part of the discussions in these sessions, many tips for interesting reading have been shared by the active involvement of the participants.

To gather these more systematically to function as continuous support for the RC51 Open Online Activity, we have created a group library in Zotero. For general information: www.zotero.org This resource was introduced to the participants in the session in March, and the participants of the future sessions will be invited to join the group library.

The third of the three sessions to be organised during the spring 2025 will take place on Zoom at 3:00 – 4:30 pm Finnish time on Wednesday 7th May 2025.

As agreed in the previous session we will continue the discussions on the concepts of COMMUNICATION and SOCIETY. There is also opportunity to continue sharing thoughts on the concepts of order and time.

Please, register in advance (preferably a week before, 30th April) for this meeting with this link: https://hamk.zoom.us/meeting/register/v2ZjWIqXSly785AmKsJWHA

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Please, pay attention to the schedule of the session regarding to your own time zone at: https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/meeting.html

Join with your view! For an ideal dialogue, please reserve the whole time, if possible! Thoughts, questions and literature shedding light to the chosen concepts are warmly welcome. The sessions are initiated, led and facilitated, also in form of collaborative documentation of the discussions, by Finnish RC51 members, Mikael Kivelä and Raija Koskinen.

Contact information related to these meetings preferably: raija.koskinen@hamk.fi see also my Häme University of Applied Sciences Finder entry Also reachable with my affiliation in the University of Helsinki: raija.koskinen@helsinki.fi

Do not hesitate to get in touch if you have questions, comments, or suggestions.

New issue of Journal of Sociocybernetics is out!

Volume 20 No. 1 (2025) includes the following paper:

Anthropocene in a Media Perspective | Jesper TÆKKE

You can grab the open access full papers following this link.

Changes to the Journal of Sociocybernetics in 2025

Dear all,

Thank you for your support over the years and for your continued commitment to the Journal of Sociocybernetics. Your contributions, whether as authors, reviewers, or readers, have been invaluable in shaping the journal, and we appreciate your ongoing engagement.

After consultation within the RC51 board and discussions with the head of an external academic publisher, we have decided to implement some changes to the journal in 2025.

First, the journal will now operate under a continuous publication model. This means that instead of waiting for a full issue to be compiled, accepted articles will be published immediately upon completion of the peer-review process. This change will allow research to be disseminated more quickly and efficiently.

Additionally, we have decided to switch to a single-blind peer review process. This means that while reviewers will remain anonymous to authors, reviewers will now be able to see the identities of the authors. The primary reason for this change is to allow members of the journal’s editorial team—who were not able to act as reviewers under the previous system—to participate in the review process. This will significantly speed up review times while maintaining rigorous academic standards.

We believe these changes will improve the journal’s efficiency and impact, and we look forward to your continued contributions.

Best regards,
Andrew Mitchell
Editor, Journal of Sociocybernetics