ABSTRACT
Chapter 1: Big Data in Political Communication, Natalie Jomini Stroud & Shannon C. McGregor
“Big data” has entered the academic lexicon as a new buzzword. Although there are no clear guidelines for what dataset size qualifies as “big,” there is widespread recognition that the availability of massive digital datasets provides a novel opportunity for scholars. By using traces of data left behind by people as they navigate their digital environments—the sites they peruse, the social media posts they make, the way they interact with mobile devices—scholars can analyze people’s attitudes and behaviors. This volume focuses on what political communication scholars can learn by studying digital trace data—the transmission of information and opinions in public, digital spaces. The messages left in comment sections, posted on social media sites, and tweeted by bloggers provide the raw data for new understandings of how citizens, elites, and journalists make sense of the political world. The chapters in this book aim to examine the theoretical and methodological implications of big data.
