digital methodstool medley

Digital Methods Summer School 2013, Amsterdam, 24 June - 5 July

Tomás Saraceno, galaxies forming along !laments, Venice Biennial 2009

anne helmondwww.digitalmethods.net

medley?

1. a diverse assortment or mixture2. a musical composition made up of a series of songs or

short pieces

<a medley of snack foods available on the buffet table>

new methods and tools for social and cultural research

digital methods initiative tool database:tools.digitalmethods.net

digital methods initiative tool database:tools.digitalmethods.net

research question -> operationalization &method: often a chain of tools

cablegate

Question: Do the sources acknowledge cablegate?

The Response of the Source

1.Get all links for US embassy websites: http://www.usembassy.gov/

2.Compile list of embassies mentioned in cables: http://wikileaks.ch/cablegate.html

3.Compare lists4.Query mentioned embassies for:

1. wikileaks2. "Julian Assange"3. Assange4. cablegate

5.Get number of cables per embassy6.Visualize output

https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/ResponsesoftheSources

aim: get links

tool: link ripper

result: links!

repeat & paste in spreadsheet

tool: compare lists

aim: get #nr mentions

tool: googlescraper (Lippmannian Device)

result: tagclouds

aim: get most leaked embassy

tool: Google Docs build on leakfeed API

further analysis

digital methodssearch as research

the nationality of rights typesResearch project by the Digital Methods Initiative Summer School 09

https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/NationalityofIssues

the point of departure of search as research, or societal search, may be summarized as follows: we look at Google results and see society, instead of Google. That is to say, including its ‘artifacts,’ engine results put much on display – from source competition and standing to longevity and commitment. (Rogers)

search as research digital methods

Can the search engine be repurposed to show which rights are speci!c per country?

research question

.nl (Dutch), .be (Dutch, French),

.com/.co.uk/.com.au/(English),

.it (Italian), .ro (Romanian),

.md (Moldavian), .ca (French, English),

.fr (French), .de/.at/.lu (German),

.! (Finnish), .se (Swedish), .ee (Estonian),

.ru (Russian)

“Query design” is the practice of formulating a query so the results can be interpreted as indications and findings (however clue-like), as opposed to mere information retrieved or optimization and manipulation exposed (however fascinating). (Rogers 2013, 111)

search as research “query design”

Google.se with query “rattigheter” (13.07.09)Google.! with query “oikeudet” (13.07.09)Google.ee with query “oigused” (15.07.09)Google.lv with query “tiesibas” (16.07.09)Google.co.uk with query “rights” (13.07.09)Google.nl with query “rechten” (13.07.09)Google.fr with query “droits” (14.07.09)Google.pt with query “direitos” (14.07.09)Google.es with query “derechos” (13.07.09)

the nationalities of issueshttps://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/NationalityofIssues

mapping the dutch blogosphere

tool: issuecrawler

https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/DutchBlogosphere2003

tool: issuecrawler

result: map IssueCrawler -> Gephi

the historical dutch blogosphere

tool: harvester

result: links!

the historical dutch blogosphere

NL Blogosphere

deceased blogs

tool: linkrippertool: URL responder (= Get HTTP response status codes from Censorship Explorer)

tool: wikipedia bot edits scraperhttps://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/NetworkedContent

tool: wikipedia bot edits scraperhttps://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/NetworkedContent

tool: wikipedia bot edits scraperhttps://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/NetworkedContent

tool: censorship explorerhttps://mappingiranonline.digitalmethods.net/

tool: censorship explorerhttps://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/NetworkedContent

tool: censorship explorer & tool: dorling map generator

https://mappingiranonline.digitalmethods.net/

tool: twitterscraper

tool: TCAT

tool: netvizz

tool: tracker tracker

Tracker Tracker -> Gephi

bonus tools!

OpenRefineA free, open source, power tool for working with messy data

http://openrefine.org/

bonus tools!

bonus tools! tools from colleagues

http://tools.medialab.sciences-po.fr/

anne@digitalmethods.net

kthnxbai!

tool wizzard: erik borra

kthxbai!

www.digitalmethods.netanne@digitalmethods.net

tool wizzard: erik borra