Understanding Data, Culture and Society

• How is data shaping our identities?

• What was the 'data revolution', and how did it happen?

• How will AI change our societies?

We live in the age of datafication: every aspect of our lives has been captured and transformed into data, from our sleeping patterns and step counts to our buying habits and political views. In this exciting new textbook, you will discover the intricate ways in which data and society are interwoven. Explaining key concepts such as 'big data' and putting theory into practice throughout, this book will make you a better expert in data and society, offering an interdisciplinary overview of a rapidly evolving field. This textbook tackles the implications of big data for democracy, identity and the global economy, showing how we cannot view our lives as separate from the technologies we have come to rely on. With learning objectives, case studies, further reading and extra resources provided in each chapter, this book is the ideal companion for students in the digital humanities and social sciences looking to deepen their understanding of data, culture and society.

Topics covered include:

• capitalism in the age of data

• democracy and politics

• identity and subjectivity

• machine learning and AI

• journalism and disinformation