It is no easy task identifying social change before it even happens. It’s hard to tell which elements will have a significant impact on social order. The times that precede a big revolution are usually recollected by social memory, yet rarely stewarded by collective efforts. When society is finally able to make sense of what’s changed in their lives because of such revolutions, it is usually too late to go back. This is most definitely true in the case of technological revolutions, which are embedded with this general notion that technology is an impartial force that’s inescapable with time and pervasive through space. But to what extent this technological determinism is actually… deterministic?

Of course, there is no single answer to such a big question. There are only scattered attempts to make sense of what’s going on, as it is going on, in the hopes of maybe stewarding the big technological advancements that we are witnessing today towards a path that’s been determined by collective deliberations rather than by a few politicians or the small board of a big company. The discussions around such issues undergirds the MSc in Media and Communications (Data and Society) at LSE. So if anyone out there is interested in making a difference – or at least in understanding the differences being made – in how technology is changing the social, economic and political landscapes, this programme is one of the few and best places in the world that they can resort to.

The Data and Society track of this master’s programme is highly interdisciplinary in scope, but very targeted in nature. As its own name suggests, it is focused on how Big Data, data science, and all sorts of data applications are being tailored to analyse and, ultimately, have an impact on society – be that impact positive or negative. The faculty members delivering the courses in this programme have worked their way to become authorities in their respective fields. Professor Nick Couldry, for example, has been writing about data and social order for over a decade now and has witnessed first-hand how the field has changed to assimilate new technologies and the cutting-edge research conducted about it. It’s hard to find a scientific article about data that doesn’t cite one of Professor Couldry’s works. Dr Alison Powell is another example of an influential scholar ministering courses in this programme. Her work on data applications and ethics is trespassing the boundaries of academia and shaping best practices in the management of data within NGOs and companies alike. Surely the list of brilliant professors in this programme goes on.

Another thing that sets this programme apart is the fact that LSE’s Department of Media and Communications only offers postgraduate level courses. What this means is that the staff and students within the department are all engaged in substantive research and practical applications concerning media studies. This is a great opportunity for students to get involved with projects that will have a genuine impact in the field; or to have meaningful debates with peers and professors about their subjects of interest in the course. What this also means is that the Department is more focused on the needs of a more cohesive group of students, enabling it to invest more time and resources into a smaller pool of students’ needs and interests.

So if you have an inquisitive mind and wish to take an active role in how data technologies are transforming social relations, the MSc in Media and Communications (Data and Society) at LSE is a good place to start. This programme will grant you the opportunity to network with a cohort of brilliant individuals from all different sorts of backgrounds and help you build a grounding knowledge about the changes that new technologies are bringing about.

It’s not everyday that we get the chance to take part in an ongoing revolution. The Big Data trains has surely left the station, but the MSc in Data and Communication (Data and Society) can still get you on board.