Communicative Approaches to Big Data: A Systematic Analysis of Web of Science Publications

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KIYAN Z., TÖRENLİ N.

CONNECTIST-ISTANBUL UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION SCIENCES, no.58, pp.241-272, 2020 (ESCI) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Publication Date: 2020
  • Doi Number: 10.26650/connectist2020-0002
  • Journal Name: CONNECTIST-ISTANBUL UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION SCIENCES
  • Journal Indexes: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM)
  • Page Numbers: pp.241-272
  • Keywords: Big data, communication studies, social media, data analysis, ethics, QUALITATIVE CONTENT-ANALYSIS, CRITICAL QUESTIONS, AGE, JOURNALISM, NEWS, US, EPISTEMOLOGY, INFORMATION, DYNAMICS, WORKING
  • Ankara University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

This study was designed as a literature review analysis of 62 journal articles that approach big data from a communicative perspective. The study allows researchers interested in the subject to gain an overview of the discussions revolving around big data, as well as the preferred theoretical approaches for big data analysis and the methodologies used. The articles included in the study were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. This method is suitable for literature studies since it allows for systematic coding and qualitative interpretations. The analysis revealed that the articles under examination were divided into two groups with 45 focused directly on big data and 17 indirectly analyzing big data. The articles in the first group generally problematized big data, whereas those in the second group analyzed a communication-based topic or problem using a large data set. This differentiation arises both from big data phenomenon being new in the field of communication and from numerous instrumental and cognitive difficulties and problems that researchers face in this field. This study fills an important gap in Turkish literature on the topic both in terms of its focus and conclusions drawn.