Web Social Science

Book excerpt: 'Although written simply enough to be accessible to undergraduates, accomplished scholars are likely to appreciate it too. Reading it taught me quite a lot about a subject I thought I knew rather well. ' - Paul Vogt, Emeritus Professor, Illinois State University 'This book brings the art and science of building and applying innovative online research tools to students and faculty across the social sciences.' - Professor William H. Dutton, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford A comprehensive guide to the theory and practice of web Social Science. This book demonstrates how the web is being used to collect social research data, such as online surveys and interviews, as well as digital trace data from social media environments, such as Facebook and Twitter. It also illuminates how the advent of the web has led to traditional social science concepts and approaches being combined with those from other scientific disciplines, leading to new insights into social, political and economic behaviour. Situating social sciences in the digital age, this book aids: understanding of the fundamental changes to society, politics and the economy that have resulted from the advent of the web choice of appropriate data, tools and research methods for conducting research using web data learning how web data are providing new insights into long-standing social science research questions appreciation of how social science can facilitate an understanding of life in the digital age It is ideal for students and researchers across the social sciences, as well as those from information science, computer science and engineering who want to learn about how social scientists are thinking about and researching the web.