Two new publications in Big Data & Society

DISTRACT researchers have published two new papers in the journal Big Data & Society. Both papers are online first, and will eventually become part of a special issue on "Machine Anthropology", edited by DISTRACT PI Morten Axel Pedersen.

"A view from anthropology: Should anthropologists fear the data machines?"

By Kristoffer Albris, Eva I Otto, Sofie L Astrupgaard, Emilie Munch Gregersen, Laura Skousgaard Jørgensen, Olivia Jørgensen, Clara Rosa Sandbye and Signe Schønning: 

Abstract: If you are an anthropologist wanting to use digital methods or programming as part of your research, where do you start? In this commentary, we discuss three ways in which anthropologists can use computational tools to enhance, support, and complement ethnographic methods. By presenting our reflections, we hope to contribute to the stirring conversations about the potential future role(s) of (social) data science vis-a-vis anthropology and ethnography, and to inspire other anthropologists to take up the use of digital methods, programming, and computational tools in their own research.

 "A View from Data Science"

By Anna Sapienza and Sune Lehmann:

Abstract: For better and worse, our world has been transformed by Big Data. To understand digital traces generated by individuals, we need to design multidisciplinary approaches that combine social and data science. Data and social scientists face the challenge of effectively building upon each other’s approaches to overcome the limitations inherent in each side. Here, we offer a “data science perspective” on the challenges that arise when working to establish this interdisciplinary environment. We discuss how we perceive the differences and commonalities of the questions we ask to understand digital behaviors (including how we answer them), and how our methods may complement each other. Finally, we describe what a path toward common ground between these fields looks like when viewed from data science.