From digital positivism and administrative big data analytics towards critical digital and social media research!

Abstract

This essay argues for a paradigm shift in the study of the Internet and digital/social media. Big data analytics is the dominant paradigm. It receives large amounts of funding, is administrative and a form of digital positivism. Critical social media research is an alternative approach that combines critical social media theory, critical digital methods and critical-realist social media research ethics. Strengthening the second approach is a material question of power in academia.

Keywords

Administrative research big data analytics computational social science critical social media research critical theory digital positivism social media

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