In simple terms
A friendly intro before the formal notes — no formulas yet.
From Problem to Project: The Inquiry Journey
This topic teaches you how to transform a large, complex digital issue into a focused, manageable research project. It's the essential first step for your HL extension inquiry.
Imagine you are a detective arriving at a crime scene. You don't just start looking for clues randomly. First, you observe the overall situation (the 'challenge'), like a major data breach. Then, you start asking specific, targeted questions ('the inquiry'): 'Which systems were vulnerable? Who was affected? What regulations were in place?'. This structured questioning process allows you to investigate the case methodically, just as a formal inquiry helps you understand a digital society challenge.
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Identify a broad, real-world issue where digital technology and society intersect, such as 'the use of AI in criminal justice'.
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Provide specific context to narrow the challenge, for example, 'the use of predictive policing AI by the Metropolitan Police in London'.
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Formulate a focused, open-ended inquiry question, such as 'To what extent does the use of predictive policing AI in London risk reinforcing existing social biases, and what are the implications for community trust?'.
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Identify the key perspectives or 'lenses' needed to answer the question, such as the technical (algorithmic bias), social (community impact), and ethical (fairness and justice) perspectives.
Explore the concept
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Full topic notes
Formal explanation with the rigour you need for the exam.
Identifying a Digital Society Challenge
A 'digital society challenge' is more than just a problem or a new technology. It is a complex, multifaceted issue that emerges at the intersection of digital systems and human communities. These challenges are often 'wicked problems' – difficult to define and even harder to solve, with interconnected social, ethical, technical, and economic dimensions. Examples include the role of gig economy platforms in reshaping labour rights, the spread of misinformation through social media algorithms, or the environmental impact of data centres.
Challenges are complex and lack simple solutions.
They always involve an interaction between a digital technology and a social context.
They have real-world consequences for individuals, groups, or society as a whole.
Examples: AI bias in recruitment, the digital divide in access to education, surveillance capitalism.
From Broad Challenge to Focused Inquiry
The most critical step in any investigation is moving from a broad area of interest to a sharp, focused inquiry question. This process can be seen as a funnel. You start with a wide topic (e.g., 'Artificial Intelligence'), narrow it to a specific challenge (e.g., 'AI in healthcare'), contextualise it (e.g., 'The use of AI diagnostic tools in NHS hospitals in the UK'), and finally, formulate a precise inquiry question. This disciplined process ensures your research is manageable, deep, and analytical rather than superficial and descriptive.
Analysing Challenges Through Multiple Lenses
No significant digital society challenge can be understood through a single lens. A robust inquiry requires a multi-perspective analysis. By examining a challenge from different viewpoints, you can uncover its complexity, identify conflicting interests, and develop a more nuanced understanding. Common analytical lenses include the social, technical, ethical, economic, political, and legal perspectives. A strong analysis will often synthesise insights from three or more of these areas to build a comprehensive argument.
Worked examples
See the formulas applied — reveal one step at a time, like the exam.
A student is interested in the topic of 'video games and young people'. Following the inquiry process, transform this broad topic into a focused inquiry question suitable for an HL investigation. Provide a 4-mark breakdown of the steps.
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Here is a possible pathway to a focused inquiry question:
Consider the challenge: 'The increasing use of remote, algorithm-based proctoring software to monitor students during online university exams.' Identify three distinct perspectives (lenses) from which to analyse this challenge and for each, state one specific question an investigator might ask. (6 marks)
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Here is a 6-mark response demonstrating multi-perspective analysis:
How it all connects
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Tap a linked idea to see how it connects back to the main topic — that connection is what examiners reward.
Glossary
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Quick check
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Revision flashcards
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Digital Society Challenge
A complex, real-world issue arising from the interaction between digital technologies and society, often with significant social, ethical, economic, or political implications.
Key takeaways
Review these before you close the topic — retrieval beats re-reading.
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Challenges are complex and lack simple solutions.
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They always involve an interaction between a digital technology and a social context.
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They have real-world consequences for individuals, groups, or society as a whole.
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Examples: AI bias in recruitment, the digital divide in access to education, surveillance capitalism.
Practice — then mark it
The whole point: a real Cambridge question, marked mark-by-mark.
Practice Formulating Inquiry Questions
Practice Formulating Inquiry Questions
Extra simulations & links
PhET, GeoGebra and other curated tools — open in a new tab.
Frequently asked
Checkpoint
One marked question is worth ten re-reads — close the loop before you move on.
Reading it isn’t knowing it — prove it.
Before you move on: do Practice Formulating Inquiry Questions on paper, snap a photo, and get examiner-style feedback on exactly where you win and lose marks.