Big data, digitalizacija i novi putevi razvoja istraživanja u društvnim i humanističkim naukama
BIG DATA, DIGITALIZATION AND NEW AVENUES IN RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT IN SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

Author(s): Bojan Todosijević, Ljubomir Hristić
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Social Sciences, Sociology, Methodology and research technology, Evaluation research
Published by: Институт друштвених наука
Keywords: digitization; Big data; social sciences; humanities; research
Summary/Abstract: Digitization and the emergence of “Big data” reflect global technological changes. Social sciences and humanities cannot escape their influence. At the global level, an increasing amount of data is generated every day from various sources – from data on on-line behavior, through data generated by the use of mobile devices, to data from government institutions. A significant part of that is data on social and economic behavior and attitudes that did not exist before, and that opens new opportunities for research. At the same time, the process of digitization is becoming the subject of social science research. Questions such as: who organizes and controls data generation, how data is used, how data security and privacy are controlled, are in the researchers’ focus. The historic period that we live in is extremely interesting for researchers in the social sciences and humanities an increasing amount of data, not only on attitudes but also on actual social behavior, is becoming available to a wider circle of researchers. At the same time, it is a very demanding period especially due to the need for technological expertise in the field of information technology. This paper provides an overview of those aspects of digitization and Big data phenomena that are of particular importance for research in the social sciences and humanities. The first part talks about the new reality created by the digitalization and the availability of Big data. In the second part, attention is paid to the new opportunities and challenges facing researchers. For researchers to participate more fully in the digital-era research eco-sphere, it is necessary to acquire competencies in the context of modern information technologies. Formal education needs to be complemented by continuing self-education. The requirements in terms of technological expertise suggest the need to develop a culture of interdisciplinary cooperation. A culture of publicly available data archiving and metadata needs to be developed. Particular attention must be paid to protecting the privacy of respondents, and data security.

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