How digital is social? Taking advantage of digital for social purposes

Today’s customers are highly aware of and sensitive to social topics. Thus, they expect organizations across all industries not only to avoid social inequalities but to react with distinct actions against social inequalities, i.e. to strive for social innovation. Moreover, digital technologies can help to leverage social innovation more easily. There are already first examples of incumbents fostering digital social innovation. Merck, for example, introduced a sticking plaster with sensors to support diabetes patients in analysing their intestinal fluids without injection. Although the potentials of digital technologies in addressing social issues seem to be obvious, research on digital social innovation is still in its infancy, and clear guidance on how to exploit the potential of digital social innovation is missing. As such, a common understanding in terms of theoretical and managerial implications is scarce. We propose a taxonomy in order to structure the research field and provide incumbents with a tool on how to address their social responsibility through digital social innovation. Thus, our study contributes to descriptive knowledge and delivers insights relevant to the practice of digital social innovation