A book on social media and big data co-edited by York University Assistant Professor Ganaele Langlois has been published by Bloomberg.
The book, Compromised Data: From Social Media to Big Data, was edited with colleagues Greg Elmer (Ryerson University) and Joanna Redden (University of Calgary). It explores the rise of data mining, from social media platforms to big data.
Featuring an expert, international lineup of contributors, the book looks at social data research and what its limits and challenges are with respect to inventing new modes of doing public research.
“We now see the widespread use of software and algorithms to collect data about everything from weather patterns to shopping habits,” said Langlois. “Data mining promises to provide knowledge that can help solve all kinds of problems, from health to crime.”
However, large-scale data mining also raises serious issues around privacy, mass manipulation and population control, she said.
“The contributions in this book formulate critiques to current data mining processes and provide alternative data-driven research frameworks,” said Langlois.
The book helps clarify the social, political and economic implications of large-scale data mining, particularly with regard to public research and policy-making.
Langlois’ role as co-editor included sending out a call for contributions, selecting contributions and editing those contributions.
She is an assistant professor at York University in the Department of Communication Studies and associate director of the Infoscape Centre for the Study of Social Media. Her research focuses on new media theory, software studies and technoculture.
For more on the book, visit bloomsbury.com/uk/compromised-data-9781501306525/#sthash.sUZ1YbpN.dpuf.