Discover how the flexible, interdisciplinary Digital Economies MSc helps professionals critically understand digital systems, platforms, and the digital economy.
In this interview, Orçun Can shares insights into the vision, structure, and impact of the programme. He discusses what makes it distinctive, how it supports diverse student goals, and why developing a critical understanding of digital systems is essential in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Could you introduce yourself and your role on the Digital Economies MSc?
I’m a lecturer in the Department of Digital Humanities at King’s College London. I’m the Programme Director for the MSc in Digital Economies and the Module Leader for your core module, Micro Perspectives in Digital Economy. My background sits at the intersection of digital culture, media theory, and the creative industries, and my teaching reflects that interdisciplinary approach.
Can you provide an overview of the MSc in Digital Economies?
The Digital Economies MSc explores how digital technologies shape culture, labour, creativity, and everyday life. Students engage with topics such as platforms, algorithms, online communities, internet industries and emerging technologies.
The programme is structured to combine theoretical foundations with applied, real-world analysis. Students develop strong analytical skills while also learning how to critically examine current digital systems. Importantly, the programme is highly flexible, allowing students to study fully online while balancing professional and personal commitments.
Why is the programme particularly relevant for professionals and researchers seeking deeper expertise in digital transformation?
Digital systems now shape almost every sector — from media and entertainment to finance, education, and politics. This programme helps students move beyond simply using digital technologies and instead understand how they function, who controls them, and what their wider social consequences are. It allows the students the position themselves within the digital economy.
It’s particularly relevant for anyone who wants to critically engage with digital transformation rather than just adapt to it.
What key areas of specialisation can students explore within the Digital Economies MSc?
Students can focus on areas such as online platforms, cultural industries, data economies, AI and digital labour. There is also room to explore topics like influencer cultures, digital marketing and algorithmic systems.
Through specialist modules students are able to tailor the programme toward their own academic interests or professional goals.
Can the Digital Economies MSc be tailored to align with individual career goals and academic interests?
Absolutely. One of the programme’s strengths is its flexibility. Students often come in with very different aims — some are focused on career progression, others on further academic research.
Assessments and final projects can usually be shaped around individual interests, allowing students to connect their learning directly to their own professional or intellectual trajectories.
How does the programme support career progression across digital, creative, policy, and technology sectors?
The programme develops highly transferable skills, including critical analysis, digital literacy, research methods, and strategic thinking. These are valuable across sectors such as technology, policy, education, marketing, media and the creative industries.
Many students find that the programme helps them reposition themselves professionally, move into more senior roles, or gain the confidence and vocabulary needed to operate within digital-facing or digital-first organisations.
How does the online Digital Economies MSc accommodate students from diverse backgrounds?
The online format allows students from all over the world to study with us. Our cohorts are extremely diverse — we welcome students from creative industries, business, journalism, technology, public sector roles, and academic backgrounds and from all over the world. Each bring their own context of where they work and live.
The flexibility of asynchronous learning means students can engage with the programme alongside full-time work or other commitments, while still benefiting from discussion, collaboration, and academic support.
What do you most enjoy about teaching students on the online Digital Economies MSc?
The diversity of perspectives. Online students bring real-world experience from many industries and countries, which enriches discussions enormously.
There’s also a strong sense of curiosity — students are often studying because they genuinely want to understand the digital world they live and work in, and that makes teaching especially rewarding. Our lecturers usually praise the level of attention and engagement in our online modules.
What excites you most about leading the programme?
How comprehensively the programme explores the digital economy. It doesn’t treat it as a niche topic or a standalone industry, but as something that shapes our everyday digital lives — from the platforms we use to the systems that organise work, culture, and communication.
The programme helps students understand the digital economy both at an individual level, in terms of daily experience and participation, and at a systemic level, by examining power structures, platforms, and economic models. That combination allows students to engage critically with digital systems rather than simply accepting them as inevitable.
What advice would you give to prospective applicants?
I would encourage applicants to be curious and open-minded. You don’t need to come from an economics background. We’re more interested in thinking critically about digital culture and society.
If you’re interested in understanding not just what digital technologies do, but why they matter and who they affect, this programme is a very strong fit.
Discover more about the King’s online MSc in Digital Economies
The MSc in Digital Economies offers a critical, flexible, and globally relevant approach to understanding how digital systems shape culture, labour, and society.
Learn more about the programme structure, entry requirements, and how to apply:
