Big Data Meets Social Sciences

What is it about?

This article begins with a review of Twitter research and a review of recent changes to Twitter research permissions and restrictions. The article then provides a meta-analysis of big data social media research conducted by mass media and communication scholars. The second half of this article focuses on critical data studies with a call for social scientists to conduct big data analysis. It concludes by comparing three free tools researchers may use to conduct research on Twitter.

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Why is it important?

Big data is routinely examined by corporations and government for purposes of exploitation and control. It is important for social scientists to combine established qualitative methods with emerging big data qualitative research. This meta-analysis shows that few mass media and communications scholars attempt to do this. With an aim toward changing that reality, this article compares and contrasts three tools freely available to facilitate such research.

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