Sociology of Digital Control: Datafication, Online Surveillance, and Gendered Norms in Everyday Life in Higher Education in Pakistan

Abstract

This qualitative study examines the sociology of digital control by exploring how datafication, online surveillance, and gendered norms shape everyday life, particularly within higher education contexts. Using thematic content analysis, secondary literature was systematically reviewed from multiple databases including Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, and institutional repositories. Purposive sampling was employed to select studies related to AI applications in higher education, such as learning analytics, automated assessment, and surveillance, alongside themes of digital inequality, and governance, with emphasis on Pakistan and comparable Global South settings. Through inductive-deductive analysis, nine major themes emerged, highlighting the mechanisms of digital control, gendered experiences of surveillance, and the role of digital platforms in reinforcing social norms. The findings indicate that digital technologies function as instruments of both governance and inequality, where data-driven systems intensify visibility, normalize monitoring, and reproduce gendered expectations. The study concludes that whereas digital control is pervasive, individuals and communities exhibit forms of resistance and agency, underscoring the need for ethical governance and gender-sensitive digital policies to ensure equitable participation in digital spaces.