Digital Methods by Richard Rogers

DIGITAL METHODS
PROF. DR. RICHARD ROGERS
UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM

DIGITAL METHODS
I. Situating Digital Methods in Internet-related research historically
II. Situating Digital Methods in the Digital Humanities and E-Social Sciences
(or Digital Sociology) epistemologically
III. Digital Methods practically with query design and search as research skills
IV. Digital Methods ethically with critical data studies

SITUATING DIGITAL METHODS
>I. Situating Digital Methods in Internet-related research historically
II. Situating Digital Methods in the Digital Humanities and E-Social Sciences
(or Digital Sociology) epistemologically

WHERE ARE WE NOW?
FROM 'THE END OF THE VIRTUAL' TO
DIGITAL METHODS AND 'ONLINE
GROUNDEDNESS'
Web as Cyberspace (1994-2000) Virtual as distinct from the real. Cyberstudies
Web as Virtual Society? (2000-2008) Virtual is part of the real. Offline as baseline
and 'virtual methods'
Web as Societal Data (2008 - ) The end of the 'virtual'. Online as baseline?
Now: Use online data about society & culture, and make 'online grounded' claims

TheTop50
SearchTenns on
Allrecipes.co1n
On Wednesday
PREVIOUS
14. "turkey"
SEARCHTERM
"sweet potato pie"
•
BELOWAVERAGE AVERAGE ABOVEAVERAGE
---1-·25% ·10% +10%
VERSUS NATIONALAVERAGE
+25%
PER 10.000SEARCHES
56
NEXr
"macaroni and cheese"

The Topso
Search Tenns on
Alh·ecipes.com
On Wednesday
PREVIOUS
15. "sweet potato pie"
SEARCH TERM
"macaroni and cheese"
BELOWAVERAGE AVERAGE ABOVE AVERAGE
-25% -10% "T10%
VERSUSNATIONALAVERAGE
+25%
PER 10.000 SEARCHES
53
NExr
17. "sweet potato"

TheTop50
SearchTenns on
Allrecipes.co1n
On Wednesday
PREVIOUS
16. "macaroni and cheese"
SEARCH TERM
"sweet potato"
• •
..
•
BELOW AVERAGE AVERAGE ABOVE AVERAGE
-25% -10% +10%
+25%
PER 10.000 SEARCHES
47
NEXT
18. "corn casserole"

The Topso
Search Terms on
Allrecipes.com
On vTednesday
PREVIOUS
17. "sweet potato"
SEARCH TERM
"corn casserole"
•
-25% -10% -10%
+25%
PER 10.000 SEARCHES
44
NEXr
19. "g-n beans"
>

TheTop so
SearchTerms on
Allrecipes.com
OnWednesday
PREVIOUS
18. "corn casserole"
SEARCH TERM
"green beans"
•
-10% +10% ,-25%
PER 10 000 SEARCHES
43
NExr
20. "turkey brine"

The Topso
Search Tenns on
Alh·ecipes.com
On Wednesday
PREVIOUS
19. "green beans"
•
•
SEARCH TERM
"turkey brine"
•
BELOWAVERAGE AVERAGE ABOVE AVERAGE
-25% -10% --t-10%
VERSUSNATIONALAVERAGE
+25%
PER 10.000 SEARCHES
42
NExr
21. "yams"

TheTop50
SearchTerms on
Allrecipes.com
On Wednesday
PREVIOUS
20. "turkey brine"
'
SEARCH TERM
"yams"
BELOWAVERAGE AVERAGE ABOVEAVERAGE
-=====1- --1
-25% -10% +10% +25%
PER 10.000SEARCHES
40
NEXT"
22. "turkeystuffing"
>

Data about Internet-based communication and interactivity could
revolutionize our understanding of collective human behaviour.
-D. Watts, “A twenty-first century science,” Nature. 445: 489, 2007.
Tracing the spread of arguments, rumors, or positions about
political and other issues in the blogosphere…
[T]he concerns of an electorate become visible in the searches they
conduct.
-D. Lazer et al., "Computational Social Science," Science, 323, 2009.
'WEB AS DATA' TURN
From the study of online culture to the study of culture online

HISTORICAL PROBLEM WITH
WEB DATA
(1) One issue is the messiness of Web data and the need for data
cleansing heuristics. The uncontrolled Web creates numerous
problems in the interpretation of results (…). (2) Indeed a skeptical
researcher could claim the obstacles are so great that all Web
analyses lack value. (3) One response to this is to demonstrate that
Web data correlate significantly with some non-Web data in order to
prove that the Web data are not wholly random.
-M. Thelwall et al., "Webometrics," 2005.
Web data's incapacity to stand alone

GOOD DATA
Good data are collected as cleanly as possible and as early as
possible in its life cycle; they are captured regularly, and
preferably over long periods of time.
-C. Borgman, The Digital Future is Now: A Call to Action for the
Humanities, Digital Humanities Quarterly 3(4), 2009.
Web data in the context of 'good data'

Prof. Dr. Richard Rogers, University of Amsterdam
Google Flu Trends: High-profile case of
the unfulfilled promise of Big Data
Google&Flu&
Trends&vastly&
overes2mates&
rate&of&inﬂuenza&
in&2012&and&
2013&in&the&USA&
Is&Big&Data&measuring&societal&
trends&or&media&eﬀects?&
Sources:&D.&Butler,&Nature,&494,&2013;&D.&
Lazer&et&al.,&Science,&343,&2014.&

>II. Situating Digital Methods in the Digital Humanities and E-Social
Sciences (or Digital Sociology) epistemologically

DIGITAL HUMANITIES
DATA & METHOD
Cultural Analytics (Manovich): Analyzes patterns in Time Magazine
and Popular Science covers, as well as Mark Rothko paintings.
'Formal' analysis (art history): grayscale, brightness, hue, saturation,
and forms.
Approach: 'Style Space' - Images which are visually similar will be
close; images which are different will be further away.
Software: ImagePlot by Software Studies Initiative
Two approaches: Cultural Analytics and Culturomics

A ‘big data’ approach that substitutes ‘continuous change’ for periodization and
‘continuous description’ for categorization.

DIGITAL HUMANITIES
DATA & METHOD
Culturomics (Google Books & Scholars): Lexicographical analysis of
scanned books over hundreds of years. American spelling taking
over from British spelling; celebrity increasingly shorter lived, etc.
Software: Google Books Ngram Viewer ("best data is the data for
English between 1800 and 2000" - culturomics.org)
Two approaches: Cultural Analytics and Culturomics

E-SOCIAL SCIENCES DATA
& METHOD
Webometrics (Thelwall et al.): Webometrics are citation analysis
methods using web links (mainly) as if they were academic
citations, where a link is treated as an endorsement or impact
metric.
Altmetrics (Priem et al.): Altmetrics inverts traditional
scientometrics, counting citations of academic work that appear
not in published journals, but rather in social media, online
reference managers, scholarly social networks, blogs, Wikipedia...
Software: Webometric Analyst 1.0/2.0; 'Altmetric It' bookmarklet
Two approaches: Webometrics and Altmetrics

NATIVELY DIGITAL
In computing, software has a native mode when it is written for a
specific processor.
In computing, software has a native support when it is written for
a specific operating system. ("native", en.wikipedia.org)
"Written for the medium"
Natively digital is meant in a computing sense

Online surveys - Finding the mailing lists to send them to
Online samples - Become difficult. Knowability of population?
Online interviews - Record interviewees?
Online user studies - Browser histories?
Online investigative reporting - Order of fact-checking changes?
DIGITIZED METHODS
Imported and migrated methods adapted slightly to the online

DIGITAL METHODS
Which objects and data are available? (links, tags, timestamps...)
How do dominant devices and platforms handle them?
How to learn from and repurpose the device methods?
Are findings grounded in the online? Is the online the baseline?
Distinction between methods that migrate to the medium and those ‘native’ to it

II. Situating Digital Methods in the Digital Humanities and E-Social Sciences (or Digital
Sociology) epistemologically

DIGITAL METHODS
OBJECTS &
APPROACHES
Hyperlinks - For issue network analysis with the Issuecrawler and
'dynamic URL sampling' for Internet censorship research
Archived websites - For screencast documentaries of websites, historical link
analysis and website as code rather than content
Search Engines - For the study of hierarchies of credibility and source
partisanship with the Lippmannian Device
4. Blogosphere - Spheres are bounded, engine-demarcations, with epistemologies
5. The Web - As national Webs, with characteristics that may used for diagnoses and
country reports

DIGITAL METHODS
OBJECTS &
APPROACHES
6. Wikipedia - As cultural reference to study the politics of memory (reconciliation)
7 Facebook - As site to study postdemographics and engagement through
networked content analysis
8. Twitter (and Instagram) - As story-telling machines for 'remote event analysis',
providing accounts of events on the ground and in substantive issue spaces
9. App space - As user studies based on app and play store characteristics; creative
industry critique by comparing amount of borrowed code across apps

1. HYPERLINK ANALYSIS
Issue network analysis with the Issuecrawler
Dynamic URL sampling for list-building and
Internet censorship research
Digital methods contributions to hyperlink analysis

.
LINKING AS POLITICS OF
ASSOCIATION
GM Food Network - Highlighted Actor Inter-linkings,
Govcom.org, 1999.

6 September 2007
What kind of 'state' of the Palestinian Web is suggested
by the Fatah-related sites?
Method
Insert Fatah-related sites in Issue Crawler.
Perform co-link analysis. Render as spring map.
Findings
Fatah's Palestinian Web may be characterized primarily as a 'civic Web'.
Fatah-related websites link to each other as well to Palestinian NGOs,
Palestinian Media and to a lesser extent to International NGOs and Media.
There are no links to other Palestinian political actors or to any official .ps websites.
What kind of 'state' of the Palestinian Web is suggested
by the Hamas-related sites?
Method
Insert Hamas-related sites in Issue Crawler.
Perform co-link analysis. Render as spring map.
Findings
The Hamas-affiliated news agency, Palestine Information Center, has numerous mirrored
websites in various languages, hosted and registered under the main domain name
Palestine-Info, with different domain extensions (Palestine-info.info, Palestine-info.co.uk,
Palestine-info.net, etc).
These sites, together with otherHamas-related websites do not link out to other (Palestinian)
websites.Instead, they provide links to RSS-feed readers, whereby individuals and other sites
may subscribe to Hamas-related content.
6 September 20076 September 2007
The Palestinian Political Webs: Separate Spheres?
Fatah-related and Hamas-related Networks Compared
.
Mapping the Palestinian Web Space ___________________________
07
SeptemberAnalysis by Anat Ben-David. Design by Marieke van Dijk.
The research presented in this publication is the result of a project supported by Canada's
International Development Research Centre (www.idrc.ca). The Information Society in
Palestine project was conceived and implemented by the Advanced Network Research,
Cambridge Security Programme, and The SecDev Group (www.secdev.ca).
A co-production of the Govcom.org Foundation, Amsterdam,
and the Information Society in Palestine project, Cambridge.
Fatah-related and Hamas-related networks compared

DYNAMIC URL SAMPLING &
INTERNET CENSORSHIP
Using lists of sensitive sites for Iran, researchers, using the
Issue Crawler, perform hyperlink analysis, discovering further
URLs, and run them through a proxy in Iran for code 403’s
(forbidden).
On 20 September 2007, it fell out of the top 1,000 results.
A METHOD FOR THE DISCOVERY OF CENSORED WEBSITES

A Censored Network: Iranian Social, Political and Religious Sites
A hyperlink analysis method for censored Website discovery.
© 2006 Govcom.org and ONI
06
Internet Censorship Visualizations________________________2006
Data_by OpenNet Initiative and map by Issuecrawler.net.
Analysis_by Richard Rogers, Nart Villeneuve and Erik
Borra, and design_by Marieke van Dijk.
A Censored Network: Iranian Social, Political and Religious Sites
IRAN
Legend
Blocked sites
Newly discovered blocked sites
Accessible sites
Inaccessible site (owing to DNS issue)
A co-production between the Govcom.org Foundation, Amsterdam, and the
OpenNet Initiative, a partnership between the Citizen Lab at the Munk
Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto, the Berkman Center
for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School, the Advanced Network
Research Group at the Cambridge Security Programme at Cambridge
University, and the Oxford Internet Institute, Oxford University.
medusa2000.com
Newly discovered blocked sites:
http://home.bip.net/radiohambastegi/
http://ir.mondediplo.com/
http://www.alahwaz.com/
http://www.ashoob.com/
http://www.asre-nou.net/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/
http://www.channelonetv.com/
http://www.didgah.com/
http://www.didgah.net/
http://www.fadaee.org/
http://www.fedayi.org/
http://www.fwhi.org/
http://www.geocities.com/~fedaian/
http://www.gozareshgar.com/
http://www.iran-jommelli.com/
http://www.iranazad.com/
http://www.irandokht.com/
http://www.komalah.org/
http://www.kvinnonet.org/
http://www.mani-poesie.de/
http://www.medusa2000.com/
http://www.mihan.net/
http://www.negah1.com/
http://www.peykeiran.com/
http://www.radio-international.org/
http://www.radiobarabari.net/
http://www.rdki.com/
http://www.roozonline.com/
http://www.shahrvand.com/
http://www.zagros.info/
alahwaz.com
alefbe.com
amnesty.org
ashoob.comasre-nou.net
avairan.com
avayeashena.com
avayezan.com
azadi-iran.org
baztab.com
bbc.co.uk/persian
channelonetv.com
cpiran.org
didgah.com
didgah.net
etehadchap.com
etehadefedaian.org
ettelaat.com
fadaee.org
fadai.org
fadaian.org
fedayi.org
forughfarrokhzad.org
fwhi.org
geocities.com/~fedaian
golshan.com
golshirifoundation.org
gooya.com
gozareshgar.com
hadisara.com
hamshahri.net
hayateno.org
home.bip.net/radiohambastegi
i-w-o.org
ihrwg.org
ilna.ir
ir.mondediplo.com
iran-chabar.de
iran-e-sabz.org
iran-emrooz.de
iran-jommelli.com
iran-newspaper.com
iran.mojahedin.org
iranazad.com
irandokht.com
iransocialforum.org
irna.com
isnagency.com
jebhe.org
jebhemelli.net
jebhemelli.org
jonge-khabar.com
kanoon-zendanian.org
kargar.org
kasravi.info
komala.org
komalah.org
kvinnonet.org
mani-poesie.de
marxists.org
marzeporgohar.org
mihan.net
nashrieh-nameh.com
negah1.com
nehzateazadi.org
news.gooya.com
panahjoo.compayvand.com/news
pdk-iran.org
peiknet.com
peykeiran.com
radio-international.org
radiobarabari.net
radiofarda.com
radiokomaleh.com
radis.org
rahekargar.net
ranjbaran.org
rdki.com
rfi.fr/fichiers/Langues/rfi_persan_main.asp
rooydad.com
roozonline.com
roshangari.com
rowzane.com
sarbedaran.org
sh-shafa.com
shahrvand.com
shamlou.org
shamlu.com
sharareha.com
sharghnewspaper.com
siahkal.com
siasate-kargari.com
tehrantimes.com
toufan.org
tudehpartyiran.org
un.org
voanews.com
womeniniran.com
wpiran.org
wsu-iran.org
zagros.info
zan.org
Method & Findings:
Using Issuecrawler.net, crawl URLs (on 30 March
2006) from the OpenNet Initiative's list of Iranian
social, political and religious sites. Find network of
sites through one iteration of co-link analysis
(pictured). Fetch each site through a proxy in Iran
(on 18 May 2006). Discover sites previously
unknown to be blocked. Compare newly discovered
blocked sites with entire list of Iranian Websites
checked by the OpenNet Initiative. The finding is
the discovery of 30 blocked sites in Iran.
Size of node indicates inlink count from network.

Build list of Falun Gong websites
Crawl them and expand list (of related sites) with Issuecrawler
Check URLs for blocking in the Censorship Explorer tool Color
code Issuecrawler map to show extent of censorship
LINK ANALYSIS TO STUDY
CENSORSHIP IN CHINA
How effective is the censorship of Falun Gong sites (and content)?

CENSORSHIP MAPS:
IRAN & CHINA
The map are double-edged. They may be used by the censors, too.
Conclusions

1) 'Screencast documentary' of history of a website in the style
of time lapse photography.
2) 'Collection making from existing web archives' (e.g., Dutch
extremist sites or North Korean web)
>3)'Conjuring a past state of the web with historical link analysis'.
Show what is missing in archive and site significance.
>4)'Archived websites as code' rather than content. History of
cookies and trackers.
2. THE WEBSITE AS
ARCHIVED OBJECT
Digital methods approaches to web archive studies

2. THE WEBSITE AS
ARCHIVED OBJECT
>3)'Conjuring a past state of the web with historical link analysis'.
4)'Archived websites as code' rather than content. History of

The Archived Blogosphere: the EatonWeb Directory in the Internet Archive
Digital Methods and the Internet Archive: DMI Summer ‘09
Anaylsis_ Michael Stevenson and Marijn de Vries Hoogerwerf
Method_ Grab screenshot for earliest archived version of each
EatonWeb blog, order by date. Visualize ’missing’ blogosphere.

slashdot.org
wired.com
obscurestore.com
robotwisdom.com
zdnet.com
flutterby.com
cybereditions.com
amazon.com
facto.org
scripting.com
nytimes.com
washingtonpost.com
members.tripod.com
mercurycenter.com
mediagossip.com
windowseat.org
news.bbc.co.uk
cnn.com
salon.com
julienne.com
newslinx.com
user.usonet.ne.jp
rc3.org
stuffeddog.com
osnews.com
dailynews.yahoo.com
catless.ncl.ac.uk
msnbc.com
sfgate.com
camworld.com
pounce.vis.nu
memepool.com
dailygrail.com
users.interport.net
peterme.com
my.netscape.com
microsoft.com
athens.net
tamu.edu
abcnews.go.com
geocities.com
refererlog.com
salonmagazine.com
digitalsquirrel.com
news.cnet.com
newscientist.com
news.com
theregister.co.uk
ntk.net
latimes.com
chaparraltree.com
members.xoom.com
wonko.com tomalak.org
bump.net
usatoday.com
techdirt.com
us.imdb.com
search.washingtonpost.com
overlawyered.com
boston.com
rebeccablood.net
researchbuzz.com
thenia.com
techweb.com
artsjournal.com
apple.com
thedixons.net
privacydigest.com
www-personal.umich.edu
web.pitas.com
macronin.com
gilest.org
youknowwhat.com
hack-the-planet.felter.org
l0pht.com
alchemy.openjava.org
infoworld.com
geeknews.net
my.userland.com
forbes.com
nandotimes.com
ultimatechaos.com
newsunlimited.co.uk
chicagotribune.com
thestandard.com
cgi.ebay.com
blogger.com
slate.com
ltseek.ltc.vanderbilt.edu
herring.com
solosier.com
kottke.org
shmooze.com
google.com
cdnow.com
roosh.com
theonion.com
worldnewyork.com
mar.anomy.net
bekkoame.ne.jp
eatonweb.com
observer.com
dtheatre.com
newhomemaker.com
villagevoice.com
whump.com
byte.com
computerworld.com
calendarlive.com
evhead.com
dack.com
dandot.com
freshmeat.net
drudgereport.com
egroups.com
epinions.com
biz.yahoo.com
cgi.pathfinder.com
bradlands.com
mtv.com
seattletimes.com
sjmercury.com
suntimes.com
thecounter.com
pcworld.com
nypostonline.com
thestranger.com
nospoon.org
tv-99-ad.com
news.excite.com
underbelly.org
userfriendly.org
mediainfo.com
magnetbox.com
linkwatcher.com
megnut.com
yahoo.com
pigdog.org
alt0169.com
pathfinder.com
indirection.skunkworks.cxunpopular.com
azstarnet.com
miscmedia.comforgo.net
metafilter.com
bud.com
zeldman.com
listology.com
musicinsight.com
coffee-a-gogo.com
pyra.com
metagrrrl.com
technocrat.net
brainsausage.com
The outlinks analyzed are
directed at both archived and
non-archived blogs, making it
possible to estimate the latter’s
position within the network.
The outlink analysis produces clusters:
the subset highlighted here includes
blogs more closely associated with tech
news sources, including Computer
World and CNet News.
The Archived Blogosphere: a Snapshot from 1999
Method_ Gather outlinks from EatonWeb blogs archived in
1999, using the version closest to July 15. Perform cluster
analysis and visualize network.
Analysis_ Esther Weltevrede, Carolin Gerlitz, Anat Ben-David
and Michael Stevenson
DMI Summer ‘09_ Digital Methods and the Internet Archive

© 2011 DMI
Dutch Blogosphere in Transition_________________________ 2011
Where do bloggers blog? The rise and fall of TLDs and blog platform software.
Research and Visualization aided by tools from
digitalmethods.net from the Digital Methods Initiative,
Gephi and E-diaspora Atlas Platform.
Research_ Erik Borra, Anne Helmond, Mathieu Jacomy
and Esther Weltevrede
Dutch
Blogosphere
Dutch
Blogosphere
The Dutch Blogosphere in Transition
The rise and evolution of the Dutch blogosphere 1999-2009.
1999 2000 2001 2002
2003 2004 2005 2006
2007 2008 2009

THE WEBSITE AS ARCHIVED
OBJECT
3)'Conjuring a past state of the web with historical link analysis'.
>4)'Archived websites as code' rather than content. History of

Jihadi websites
Key finding: Jihad websites use advertising
platforms from major Western tech companies

3) 'Conjuring a past state of the web with historical link analysis'.
4) 'Archived websites as code' rather than content. History of
THE WEBSITE AS ARCHIVED
OBJECT

Search engine as research machine. Transform 'consumer
information appliance’ into 'research machine.’ (Use research
browser)
Query individual sites (Google site: query) to find bias, partisanship
and commitments. (Use the Google Scraper aka Lippmannian
Device available at tools.digitalmethods.net).
3. SEARCH AS
RESEARCH
How to repurpose Google for social research?

SelectMethod&Visualization
TheGoogleScraperqueriesGoogleandmakestheresultsavailableforfurtheranalysis.
Inthetoptextbox,placeURLs.Inthebottom textbox,placekeywords.
GooglewillbeaskedifeachkeywordoccursineachURL.
Resultsareoutputtedastagclouds,htmltablesandtextfiles.

Use a distinct browser for research
Log out of any Google services
Disable customization based on signed-out search activity
- removes personalization of web history
- removes personalization of (social) network
- retains localization on geography (e.g., .nl)
SEARCH ENGINE AS
RESEARCH MACHINE
Install and use a Research Browser

1. Derive list of climate change skeptics
2. Query Google for “Climate Change” and retain top 100
results
3. Harvest URLs from the results
4. Enter URLs into top box of GoogleScraper, and the skeptics’
names in the bottom box.
REPURPOSING GOOGLE

1. Derive list of climate change skeptics (source triangulation)
S. Fred Singer
Robert Balling
Sallie Baliunas
Patrick Michaels
Richard Lindzen
Steven Milloy
Timothy Ball
Paul Driessen
Willie Soon
Sherwood B. Idso
Frederick Seitz

2. Query Google for “Climate Change” and retain top 100 results
4. Enter URLs into top box of GoogleScraper, and the skeptics’
names in the bottom box.
REPURPOSING GOOGLE

2. Query Google for “Climate Change” and retain top 100 results
4. Enter URLs into top box of GoogleScraper, and the skeptics’names in
the bottom box
REPURPOSING GOOGLE

Climate Change Sceptics on the Web (Frederick Seitz)
Research Question_To what extent are climate change 'skeptics' present
in the climate change spaces on the Web?
Findings_There is distance between the skeptics and the top of the
search engine returns.
Source_google.com
Query_“Frederick Seitz”
Method_Search for query “Frederick Seitz” in top 100. Organized in order.
Tools_Google Scraper and Tag Cloud Generator
Date_30 July 2007
Product_of the Digital Methods Initiative,
dmi.mediastudies.nl. Analysis_by Bram
Nijhof, Richard Rogers and Laura van der
Vlies. Design_Anne Helmond.
CC_BY:NC:SA
campaigncc.org (1)
climateark.org (4)marshall.org (8)
realclimate.org (35)
sourcewatch.org (21)
abc.net.au (0)
acfonline.org.au (0)
bbc.co.uk (0) bom.gov.au (0)
cbc.ca (0)
ciel.org (0)
climatechallenge.gov.uk (0)
climatechange.ca.gov (0)
climatechange.com.au (0)
climatechangecentral.com (0)
climatechangecollege.org (0)
climatecrisis.net (0)
climatescience.gov (0)
dar.csiro.au (0)
davidsuzuki.org (0)
defra.gov.uk (0)
dfat.gov.au (0)
ec.gc.ca (0)
ecn.ac.uk (0)
ecokids.ca (0)
ecy.wa.gov (0)
eea.europa.eu (0)
eldis.org (0)
energy.gov (0)
envirolink.org (0)
epa.gov (0)
exploratorium.edu (0)
faqs.org (0)
foe.co.uk (0)
ft.com (0)
g8.gov.uk (0)
gcrio.org (0)
greenpeace.org (0)
grida.no (0)
guardian.co.uk (0)
iea.org (0)
iisd.org (0)
ipcc.ch (0)
iucn.org (0)
ltscotland.org.uk (0)
metoffice.gov.uk (0)
mfe.govt.nz (0)
mofa.go.jp (0)
nature.com (0) nature.org (0)
ncdc.noaa.gov (0)
open2.net (0)
panda.org (0)
pewclimate.org (0)
royalsoc.ac.uk (0)
scidev.net (0)
scienceagogo.com (0)
state.gov (0)
theglobeandmail.com (0)
ucar.edu (0)
un.org (0)
unep.org (0)
who.int (0)
whoi.edu (0)
worldwildlife.org (0)
CLIMATE CHANGE
SCEPTICS

Climate Change Sceptics on the Web (Sherwood Idso)
Source_google.com
Query_“Sherwood Idso”
Method_Search for query “Sherwood Idso” in top 100. Organized in order.
Date_30 July 2007
CC_BY:NC:SA
sourcewatch.org (14) climatescience.gov (0)
greenpeace.org (0) campaigncc.org (1)
climateark.org (1)
abc.net.au (0)
cbc.ca (0)
ciel.org (0)
dar.csiro.au (0)
davidsuzuki.org (0)
defra.gov.uk (0)
dfat.gov.au (0)
ec.gc.ca (0)
ecn.ac.uk (0)
ecokids.ca (0)
ecy.wa.gov (0)
eea.europa.eu (0)
eldis.org (0)
energy.gov (0)
envirolink.org (0)
epa.gov (0)
faqs.org (0)
foe.co.uk (0)
ft.com (0)
g8.gov.uk (0)
gcrio.org (0) grida.no (0)
guardian.co.uk (0)
iea.org (0)
iisd.org (0)
ipcc.ch (0)
iucn.org (0)
marshall.org (0)
mfe.govt.nz (0)
mofa.go.jp (0)
ncdc.noaa.gov (0)
open2.net (0)
panda.org (0)
pewclimate.org (0)
royalsoc.ac.uk (0)
scidev.net (0)
state.gov (0)
ucar.edu (0)
un.org (0)
unep.org (0)
who.int (0)
whoi.edu (0)
CLIMATE CHANGE
SCEPTICS

Climate Change Sceptics on the Web (Sallie Baliunas)
Source_google.com
Query_“Sallie Baliunas”
Method_Search for query “Sallie Baliunas” in top 100. Organized in order.
Date_30 July 2007
CC_BY:NC:SA
abc.net.au (0)
cbc.ca (0)
ciel.org (0)
dar.csiro.au (0)
davidsuzuki.org (0)
defra.gov.uk (0)
dfat.gov.au (0)
ec.gc.ca (0)
ecn.ac.uk (0)
ecokids.ca (0)
ecy.wa.gov (0)
eea.europa.eu (0)
eldis.org (0)
energy.gov (0)
envirolink.org (0)
epa.gov (0)
faqs.org (0)
foe.co.uk (0)
ft.com (0)
g8.gov.uk (0)
guardian.co.uk (0)
iea.org (0)
iisd.org (0)
ipcc.ch (0)
iucn.org (0)
mfe.govt.nz (0)
mofa.go.jp (0)
ncdc.noaa.gov (0)
open2.net (0)
panda.org (0)
pewclimate.org (0)
royalsoc.ac.uk (0)
scidev.net (0)
state.gov (0)
ucar.edu (0)
un.org (0)
unep.org (0)
who.int (0)
whoi.edu (0)
greenpeace.org (0) campaigncc.org (0)
sourcewatch.org (0) climatescience.gov (0)
CLIMATE CHANGE
SCEPTICS

Climate Change Sceptics on the Web (Robert Balling)
Source_google.com
Query_“Robert Balling”
Method_Search for query “Robert Balling” in top 100. Organized in order.
Date_30 July 2007
CC_BY:NC:SA
campaigncc.org (2)
sourcewatch.org (4)
greenpeace.org (0)
climatescience.gov (11)
abc.net.au (0)
cbc.ca (0)
ciel.org (0)
dar.csiro.au (0)
davidsuzuki.org (0)
defra.gov.uk (0)
dfat.gov.au (0)
ec.gc.ca (0)
ecn.ac.uk (0)
ecokids.ca (0)
ecy.wa.gov (0)
eea.europa.eu (0)
eldis.org (0)
energy.gov (0)
envirolink.org (0)
epa.gov (0)
faqs.org (0)
foe.co.uk (0)
ft.com (0)
g8.gov.uk (0)
guardian.co.uk (0)
iea.org (0)
iisd.org (0)
ipcc.ch (0)
iucn.org (0)
mfe.govt.nz (0)
mofa.go.jp (0)
ncdc.noaa.gov (0)
open2.net (0)
panda.org (0)
pewclimate.org (0)
royalsoc.ac.uk (0)
scidev.net (0)
state.gov (0)
ucar.edu (0)
un.org (0)
unep.org (0)
who.int (0)
whoi.edu (0)
CLIMATE CHANGE
SCEPTICS

The clouds show at a glance partisanship but also
watchdog behaviour.
ISSUE CLOUDS AND
SOURCE CLOUDS
Conclusions

As articles mature, they may express a national as opposed to
neutral point of view. Neutral to whom?
Compare article elements: title, authors (or editors), table of
contents, images and references. Also: location of the anonymous
editors (based on IP address), and a reading of the talkpages.
How to have language Wikipedia versions show cultural reference?
6. WIKIPEDIA AS
'CULTURAL REFERENCE'
How to show the politics of memory (and reconciliation)?

Referenced hosts in the Srebrencia articles per Wikipedia language version, colored
by frequency, and ordered by frequency and by alphabet, 20 December 2010
1 2 3 4 5 6
Serbian Bosnian Dutch Croatian Serbo-Croatian English
un.org un.org un.org un.org un.org un.org
srebrenica.ba srebrenica.ba icty.org srebrenica.ba srebrenica.ba srebrenica.ba
icty.org ic-mp.org groene.nl icty.org
srebrenica-
zepa.ba
icty.org
bosnia.org.uk idc.org.ba vandiepen.com bosnia.org.uk srebrenica.nl bosnia.org.uk
guardian.co.uk srebrenica-zepa.ba books.google.nl guardian.co.uk vladars.net guardian.co.uk
ic-mp.org helsinki.org.yu
dutchbat.luchtmobiel.
nl
icj-cij.org ic-mp.org
icj-cij.org hlc.org.yu dutchbat1.com idc.org.ba icj-cij.org
iwpr.net ogrish.com
emperors-
clothes.com
iwpr.net idc.org.ba
news.bbc.co.uk sense-agency.com nu.nl news.bbc.co.uk iwpr.net
nytimes.com vladars.net ochtenden.nl nytimes.com news.bbc.co.uk
ohr.int dzemat-oberhausen.de volkskrant.nl ohr.int nytimes.com
srebrenica-zepa.ba inzl.unsa.ba vreme.com ohr.int
vreme.com preventgenocide.org balkaninsight.com vreme.com
128.121.186.47
srebrenica-
genocide.blogspot.com
bim.ba 128.121.186.47
b92.net zeneucrnom.org domovina.net b92.net
helsinki.org.yu edition.cnn.com balkaninsight.com
hlc.org.yu europarl.europa.eu bim.ba
news.independent.co.u
k
independent.co.uk domovina.net
ogrish.com newsweek.com edition.cnn.com
reuters.com pbs.org europarl.europa.eu
slobodan-milosevic.org potocarimc.ba groene.nl

Burial of 465 identified Bosniaks,
Potočari, 2007.
Map of the Srebrenica military
operations, made by the U.S. Central
Intelligence Agency, with green
arrow showing the route of the
Bosnian forces.
Map of the location of Srebrenica,
the Republika Srpska,
Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial and
Cemetery, Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Grave of a 13-year old Bosniak boy.
Ratko Mladic.
An exhumed body with blindfold
and hands tied behind his back. As of
September 2012, the photo has been
removed from Wikipedia article.
Exhumed grave of victims, 2007.
Podrinje Identification Project's
facility for storing, processing, and
handling exhumed remains..
"UN left 8,000 to die in Bosnia."
Headline in The Independent,
30 October 1995.
Satellite photo of Nova Kasaba
mass grave.
International Criminal Tribunal for
the Former Yugoslavia, Den Haag,
the Netherlands.
Srebrenica Genocide Memorial
Stone at Potočari, with the victim
count of 8,372.
Skull exhumed outside
of Potočari, July 2007.
Wall of names at the Srebrenica
Genocide Memorial.
War-damaged buildings
in Srebrenica.
The Bosniak enclaves of Srebrenica
and Zepa, declared safe areas by the
U.N. in 1993.
DUTCH ENGLISH BOSNIAN CROATIAN SERBIAN
SERBO-
CROATIAN

The reference and image grids show 'alignment' and
non-alignments of 'national' cultural accounts. They may be
seen as indicators of current state of politics of memory and
reconciliation.
COMPARATIVE REFERENCE
AND IMAGE GRIDS
Conclusions

'Postdemographics': Social media profile and interest data
as means of studying cultural taste and political preference
'Networked content analysis': Social media activity data as means
of studying 'most engaged with content' (quali-quanti approach)
7. FACEBOOK AND
SOCIAL MEDIA STUDIES
Digital Methods contributions to the study of social media

POSTDEMOGRAPHICS
Do friends of political party leaders have similar interests?
Aggregate friends' interest and show compatibility.
One may also show compatibility of interests (e.g., Islam and
Christianity).
Social media profile and interest data as source for studying political preference

Inter-liked page analysis and networked content analysis.
Which content has the most (and most consistent) likes,
shares, comments and liked comments in Facebook pages
and groups? What animates users to engage? Also, what is
the relative significance of memes in the content space.
NETWORKED CONTENT
ANALYSIS
Social media data as means to study content engagement

F O R Z A
N U O VA
S I C I L I A
ATA K A
P L ATA F O R M A
P E R C ATA L U N YA
R I S P O S T E
L A I Q U E
L I G U E D E
D E F E N C E
F R A N C A I S E
P E R U S S U O M A L A I S E T
S I O E
F R A N C E
V O TA
F O R Z A
N U O VA
A L L E
C O M U N A L I
D I M I L A N O
N O R -
W E G I A N
D E F E N C E
L E A G U E
S W E D I S H
D E F E N C E
L E A G U E
D E R D A N S K E
V O R E N I N G
PA X
E U R O PA
F R E M S K R I T T S PA R T I E T S
V E N N E R
E S PA Ñ A
2 0 0 0
B R I T I S H
N AT I O N A L
PA R T Y
S I O E
E N G L A N D
SIAD
DENMARK
SIOE
DEUTSCHLAND
B L O C
I D E N T I TA I R E

Preference. Like sociometric or psychometric profiles, the
aggregated interests of politicians' friends provide the politics
of TV shows, music, movies and media more generally.
Engagement. Likes, shares, comments and liked comments
are seen as forms of engagement in content for causes.
FACEBOOK: PREFERENCE
AND ENGAGEMENT IN
SOCIAL MEDIA
Conclusions

Otherwise Engaged
Facebook Studies

Otherwise Engaged
Instagram Studies

From presentation of self to engagement in social causes
Twitter Studies
What is one studying
when studying tweets?
• Twitter I (2006-2009): Urban lifestyle
tool (origins) and ‘banal’ lunch tweets
Tagline: "what are you doing?"
• Twitter II (2009-2012): Elections,
disasters and revolutions.
Tagline: " hat's happening?"
M tri "tr n ing to i "
• Twitter III (2012- ): n ri research
tool ( tion stocks, celebrity awards)
Tagline: "compose new tweet"

8. TWITTER STUDIES
'Remote event analysis': Twitter as means of news and
event following with a story-telling approach
'Social issue space': Twitter as a means to study dominant
voice and engagement in an (expert) issue space
Digital Methods contributions to the study of Twitter as social media

1. Create tweet collection
2. Order most retweeted (and/or liked) tweets in
chronological order
3. Recount most significant instances during events on the ground
and in social media
REMOTE EVENT ANALYSIS:
TWITTER AS STORY-
TELLING MACHINE
Twitter studies as remote event analysis with story-telling machine approach

What’s happening in Iran just after
the disputed election (DMI, 2009)?

Mousavi holds an
emergency press
conference. The voter
turn-out is 80%. SMS is
down; Mousavi’s website
and Facebook are
blocked. Police are
using pepper spray.
Mousavi is under house
arrest; he is prepared
for martyrdom. Neda is
dead. There’s a riot in
Baharestan Square.
First aid info is here.
Bon Jovi sings “Stand by
Me” in support.
Ahmadinejad is
confirmed the winner.
Light a candle for the
ppl of Iran.

1. hashtag analysis - hashtags are often embedded social issues
2. @mention analysis - allows to identify dominant voice
3. URL analysis - shows content that is most referenced
SOCIAL ISSUE SPACE:
DOMINANT VOICE AND
ENGAGEMENT ON TWITTER
Twitter studies social issues with dominant voice and engagement approach

Critical analytics for Twitter analysis
Analytical procedures
1) hashtag analysis - hashtags are often embedded social issues
2) @mention analysis - allows to identify dominant voice
3) URL analysis - shows content that is most referenced

>2) @mention analysis - allows to identify dominant voice
3) URL analysis - shows content that is most referenced

Show Me Your Dashboard
DMI 2015 - @mention analysis

2) @mention analysis - allows to identify dominant voice
>3) URL analysis - shows content that is most referenced

DIGITAL METHODS
Further information:
R. Rogers, Digital Methods, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2015
Digital Methods Initiative, http://www.digitalmethods.net, holds
Summer and Winter Schools in Amsterdam
rogers@uva.nl

Digital Methods by Richard Rogers

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to Digital Methods by Richard Rogers

Similar to Digital Methods by Richard Rogers (20)

More from Digital Methods Initiative

More from Digital Methods Initiative (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (13)

Digital Methods by Richard Rogers