A place to stand
Digital sociology and the Archimedean effect
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11628850 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Alphia Possamai‐inesedy (0000-0003-3612-9781, Western Sydney University, corresponding author), Alan G Nixon (Western Sydney University), Alan Nixon (Western Sydney University) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 865-884 |
| Publication date | 2017-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Sociology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1440-7833 • E-ISSN: 1741-2978 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1440783317744104 |
| OpenAlex | W2779774892 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 54 |
With the advent of the internet, particularly Web 2.0, sociologists have been called to take up the challenges and the promises of the web. In the face of this, sociologists are caught up in debates and practices concerned with how to ethically approach and develop appropriate methods/methodologies for the field. While these are important endeavours, more robust debate needs to take place on the unintended consequences of the promises of the internet, as well as the power relations that are at play in what we term the ‘digital social’. Employing the metaphor of the Archimedean screw and Archimedean point, this article argues that the space we now find ourselves in is unprecedented; it is one which simultaneously demands the empowerment of research and yet results in the stripping away of its foundation. The Archimedean effect demonstrates that the promises of the internet have not been fulfilled resulting in the evolution and de-evolution of the digital social framed by the reinforcement of existing power relations. Yet, rather than viewing this as a time of crisis, we should see it as a defining moment for our discipline, one where the demands of public sociology need to be adopted broadly
Empowerment · Epistemology · Face (sociological concept · Field (mathematics · Foundation (evidence · Media studies · Metaphor · Political science · Power (physics · Public relations · Social science · Social space · Sociology · The Internet · Computer Science · Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice · Law · Opinion Dynamics and Social Influence · Social Media and Politics
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Big Data, Little Data, No Data
The Sage Handbook of Online Research Methods
The political blogosphere and the 2004 U.S. election
The Relevance of Algorithms
The Relevance of Algorithms
Tweeting From Left to Right
The social power of algorithms
Red Media, Blue Media
Social Media and the Decision to Participate in Political Protest
The Metamorphosis of the World
Popular Culture and New Media
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An egocentric network tale
Echo chamber and trench warfare dynamics in online debates
Understanding media
Birds of the Same Feather Tweet Together
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The Archimedean point and eccentricity
Critical Questions for Big Data
The Archimedean Point
Known or knowing publics? Social media data mining and the question of public agency
Social Media and Fake News in the 2016 Election
The elephant in the living room
Liquid love? Dating apps, sex, relationships and the digital transformation of intimacy
Using the cyborg to re-think young people's uses of Facebook
You can do it from your sofa
This is Your Father's Paradigm
Illness Online
Reassembling Social Science Methods
Popular Culture, Digital Archives and the New Social Life of Data
A New Algorithmic Identity
Charlie Is So Cool Like
Some Further Reflections on the Coming Crisis of Empirical Sociology
The Coming Crisis of Empirical Sociology
The Growth of Internet Research Methods and the Reluctant Sociologist
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,57 |
| Citation span | 2019 - 2022 (4) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |