A Critical Axiology for Big Data Studies

Authors

  • Saif Shahin Author Bouling Green State University

Keywords:

Big data, technology, social media, critical research, surveillance

Abstract

Big Data is having a huge impact on journalism and communication studies. At the same time, it has raised a plethora of social concerns ranging from mass surveillance to the legitimization of prejudices such as racism. This article develops an agenda for critical Big Data research. It discusses what the purpose of such research should be, what pitfalls it should guard against, and the possibility of adapting Big Data methods to conduct empirical research from a critical standpoint. Such a research program will not only enable critical scholarship to meaningfully challenge Big Data as a hegemonic tool, but will also make it possible for scholars to draw upon Big Data resources to address a range of social issues in previously imposible ways. The article calls for methodological innovation in combining emerging Big Data techniques with critical/qualitative methods of research, such as ethnography and discourse analysis, in ways that allow them to complement each other.

doi: 10.5294/pacla.2016.19.4.2

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Downloads

Published

2016-10-03

How to Cite

Shahin, S. (2016). A Critical Axiology for Big Data Studies. Palabra Clave, 19(4), 972–996. Retrieved from https://palabraclave.unisabana.edu.co/index.php/palabraclave/article/view/6996

Issue

Vol. 19 No. 4 (2016): Journalism. New topics, new trends

Section

Articles

License

1. Proposed Policy for Journals That Offer Open Access

 

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.