Instrumenting the Online Information Environment
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9747656 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jacob N Shapiro (0000-0002-7484-229X, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 715 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 38-59 |
| Publication date | 2024-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-7162 • E-ISSN: 1552-3349 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/00027162251397820 |
| OpenAlex | W4417316638 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 40 |
Large-scale, centrally funded measurement systems on the economy, education, the environment, and public health enable rapid scientific research and support robust policy feedback. They provide frameworks for assessing policy effectiveness, flagging emerging problems, and informing planning processes. The online information environment—a critical domain of human interaction—has not yet been similarly instrumented. This article first reviews key measurements in other domains and outlines why existing tools for studying online environments are insufficient. It then lays out the consequences of the measurement gap, identifies key data-collection tasks, discusses the scale of resources required to meet them, and addresses the implications of generative AI for the instrumentation task. I argue that modest but strategic investments in scaled measurement infrastructure could unlock transformative research capabilities and facilitate an evidence-driven approach to policymaking that could improve how we govern online spaces
Domain (mathematical analysis · Flagging · Information system · Instrumentation (computer programming · Key (lock · Public domain · Scale (ratio · Transformative learning · Ethics and Social Impacts of AI · Innovative Human-Technology Interaction · Smart Cities and Technologies
More Time on Technology, Less Happiness? Associations Between Digital-Media Use and Psychological Well-Being
Is social network site usage related to depression? A meta-analysis of Facebook–depression relations
Social media use and its impact on adolescent mental health
Social Media and Depression Symptoms
The Concept of Unemployment
Visual misinformation on Facebook
Terrorism and education
Annual Research Review
Social Media and Mental Health
A systematic review of worldwide causal and correlational evidence on digital media and democracy
Cultural Background and Measurement of Usage Moderate the Association Between Social Networking Sites (SNSs) Usage and Mental Health
The Static Theory of Automatic Fiscal Stabilization
The Post-API Age of Social Media Data Access
Bridging the News and Social Media Divide
The effects of algorithmic content selection on user engagement with news on Twitter
Who Is Democracy Good For? Elections, Rural Bias, and Health and Education Outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa
When research is the context
Underestimating digital media harm
The Labor Force and Gainful Workers-Concept, Measurement, and Comparability
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |