Sarah E. Igo
October 7, 2018
This spring, with some fanfare, Facebook and the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) announced that they would team up for a novel research collaboration. The unusual partnership has been greeted with equal parts praise and criticism. What seems undeniable, however, is what the project represents: the first outlines of a 21st-century social-research complex shaped more by big data than conventional data sets, and by corporate rather than public backing. Given its evident importance, those leading the effort will need to resist a reflexive retreat to old frameworks for ethical inquiry even as they venture into new territory.
While many of the specifics are still being hammered out, the joint SSRC-Facebook Social Data Initiative marks the first time that the social-media giant has agreed to release large amounts of proprietary data to outside scholars. Under the umbrella of the initiative’s "Social Media and Democracy" program, the recipients will in the first instance be academics analyzing issues of immediate import: the impact of social media on elections and politics around the globe.
Read More...While many of the specifics are still being hammered out, the joint SSRC-Facebook Social Data Initiative marks the first time that the social-media giant has agreed to release large amounts of proprietary data to outside scholars. Under the umbrella of the initiative’s "Social Media and Democracy" program, the recipients will in the first instance be academics analyzing issues of immediate import: the impact of social media on elections and politics around the globe.
