CAMRI | Understanding Data, Culture and Society

Understanding Data, Culture and Society

Book by Pieter Verdegem, published by Sage Publications

We live in the age of datafication: every aspect of our lives has been captured and transformed into data, from our sleeping patterns and step counts to our buying habits and political views. In this exciting new textbook, you will discover the intricate ways in which data and society are interwoven. Explaining key concepts such as ‘big data’ and putting theory into practice throughout, this book will make you a better expert in data and society, offering an interdisciplinary overview of a rapidly evolving field. This textbook tackles the implications of big data for democracy, identity and the global economy, showing how we cannot view our lives as separate from the technologies we have come to rely on. With learning objectives, case studies, further reading and extra resources provided in each chapter, this book is the ideal companion for students in the digital humanities and social sciences looking to deepen their understanding of data, culture and society.

Contents:

Part I: INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1. How to Study Data, Culture and Society

Chapter 2. Data, Algorithms and Society

Part II: STRUCTURES AND FOUNDATIONS

Chapter 3. Capitalism in the Age of Data

Chapter 4. Data, Democracy and Politics

Chapter 5. Data, Identity and Subjectivity

Chapter 6. Data, Machine Learning and AI

Part III: APPLICATIONS AND CONTROVERSIES

Chapter 7. Data, Industries and Globalisation

Chapter 8. Data, Tech and Inequalities

Chapter 9. Data, Journalism and Disinformation

Chapter 10. Data, Automation and Work

PART IV: CONCLUSION

Chapter 11: Data Justice, Activism and Resistance

About Pieter Verdegem

Dr Pieter Verdegem is Reader in Technology and Society in the Westminster School of Media and Communication and member of CAMRI (the Communication and Media Research Institute).

His research investigates the political economy of media and communication and the impact of digital technologies on society.

He is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) and teaches core undergraduate and postgraduate modules every year.

Prior to joining the Westminster School of Media and Communication, he was Assistant Professor in New Media and ICT in the Department of Communication Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium (2012-2016) and Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Informatics and Media, Uppsala University, Sweden (2011-2012). He holds a PhD in Communication Sciences from Ghent University.