Call for Papers for the Conference „Scraping the Demos“: Political epistemologies of Big Data
Organizers: Research Group Quantification and Social Regulation (Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society) and DVPW Thematic Group “Internet and Politics. Electronic Governance”
Date: 8-9 July 2019 (lunch-to-lunch)
Conference location: WZB Berlin Social Science Center, Reichpietschufer 50, D-10785 Berlin, Germany
Responsible: Dr. Lena Ulbricht lena.ulbricht@wzb.eu
The conference explores political epistemologies of big data. Political epistemologies are practices by which societies construct politically relevant knowledge and the criteria by which they evaluate it. These practices and criteria may originate in scientific, political, cultural,
religious, and economic contexts. They evolve over time, vary between sectors, are inherently political and therefore subject to conflict. Big data is the practice of deriving socially relevant knowledge from massive and diverse digital trace data. The rise of digital technologies in all
social spheres has enabled new epistemic practices which have important political implications: Political elites see digital technologies as source s of new and better tools for learning about the citizenry, for increasing political responsiveness and for improving the effectiveness of policies.
More information can be found in the call.