SDF

BAE Young majored in sociology and is currently teaching at POSTECH. His area of specialty is information sociology, and he has conducted extensive research on the changes effected by informatization at both an individual and societal level. He is particularly interested in the phenomena of online social relationships, which can begin in a context of anonymity yet develop over the course of sustained interactions into a deep mutual bond. He continues to explore through his research the characteristics of relationships formed through online communities, social media, smartphones, and other mediums birthed through continued advances in technology.

Last year, BAE Young opened a new chapter in his life, relocating from Seoul, where he taught at the same university for fifteen years, to POSTECH. In the transition, he has come to appreciate the synergy that can be produced when differing characteristics are brought together in the right way, and while it hasn’t been easy work, he has been making numerous efforts to realize his ambitions for interdisciplinary research and teaching that integrates the sciences and the humanities. Earlier this year, he opened the Social Data Science Research Institute, where he is conducting this type of integrated research through data-based analysis of social issues in search of technology-enabled solutions. Understanding data as a key enabler and basis for interdisciplinary approaches, Young has worked to put interdisciplinarity into practice across a range of fields. While being a sociologist at a school for science and technology comes with its share of challenges, Young is excited about the new possibilities he is discovering along the way.

Since settling into the new rhythms of life outside Seoul, Young has also developed an interest in the question of quality of life, and has begun research on how positive emotions and subjective factors, aside from material inputs, contribute to quality of life.