Elements for a sociology of data, datafication, and big data
Authors
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Gastón Becerra
Universidad de Buenos Aires
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9432-8848
Abstract
This article analyzes the phenomenon of big data from a sociological perspective, using Social Systems Theory (SST) as its conceptual framework. In the first section, we present the phenomenon of big data and approach it as a discursive construction that articulates a sociotechnical mandate along with promises of objectivity and control. We offer a conceptualization of this phenomenon as a self-description of society and briefly discuss the thesis of its disruptive impact on the social structure. In the second section, we propose an initial conceptual framework for a sociology of data and the social practice of data production and data repurpose, referred to as datafication. Drawing on contributions from critical data studies and SST, we explore four theses: datafication as an autopoietic process, the constitution of data within communication, inclusion/exclusion dynamics in data, and the possible emergence of a functional system.Keywords:
big data , datafication , social systems theory , functional differentiation , sociologyReferences
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