Critical Data Studies in Social Science
Summary
Critical Data Studies in Social Science interrogate the assumptions, power relations and socio-material processes that underpin the generation, circulation and enactment of data in society. Rather than treating data as detached, objective facts, this field situates datasets within broader social, cultural and political assemblages, revealing the influences of historical context, institutional practices and technological infrastructures. Researchers draw on qualitative and computational methods to trace the life of data—from collection to repurposing—examining how meaning is constructed and contested across diverse contexts. Central concerns include the ethical implications of datafication, questions of agency and governance, and the ways in which algorithmic systems mediate social inequality and public discourse. By foregrounding the role of human labour, institutional decision-making and normative frameworks, Critical Data Studies foster more reflexive, equitable and democratised approaches to data-driven research and policy around the globe.
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Critical Data Studies in Social Science publication trend
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Technical terms
Datafication: The transformation of social actions and processes into quantifiable data.
Assemblage: A conceptual framework describing how heterogeneous elements—data, technologies, actors, norms—coalesce to produce socio-technical phenomena.
Algorithmic Profiling: The practice of categorising individuals or groups based on data-driven inferences, often with implications for discrimination and surveillance.
Sociotechnical Imaginary: A collectively held vision of desirable futures that shapes how technologies are represented and adopted.
References
- Social uncertainty in the digital world. Trends in Cognitive Sciences (2024).
- (In)visible everyday work of fostering a data‐driven healthcare and social service organisation. New Technology Work and Employment (2023).
- European artificial intelligence policy as digital single market making. Big Data & Society (2023).
- Critical data studies: An introduction. Big Data & Society (2016).
- Data journeys: Capturing the socio-material constitution of data objects and flows. Big Data & Society (2016).
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