#5100. Ghosts of white methods? The challenges of Big Data research in exploring racism in digital context

July 2026publication date
Proposal available till 17-05-2025
4 total number of authors per manuscript0 $

The title of the journal is available only for the authors who have already paid for
Journal’s subject area:
Communication;
Library and Information Sciences;
Computer Science Applications;
Information Systems;
Information Systems and Management;
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More details about the manuscript: Science Citation Index Expanded or/and Social Sciences Citation Index
Abstract:
The paper explores the potential and limitations of big data for researching racism on social media. Informed by critical data studies and critical race studies, the paper discusses challenges of doing big data research and the problems of the so called ‘white method’. The paper introduces the following three types of approach, each with a different epistemological basis for researching racism in digital context: 1) using big data analytics to point out the dominant power relations and the dynamics of racist discourse, 2) complementing big data with qualitative research and 3) revealing new logics of racism in datafied context. The paper contributes to critical data and critical race studies by enhancing the understanding of the possibilities and limitations of big data research. This study also highlights the importance of contextualisation and mixed methods for achieving a more nuanced comprehension of racism and discrimination on social media and in large datasets.
Keywords:
Big data; critical race studies; racism; social media; topic modelling; white methods

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