Strengths and Weaknesses of Digital Trace Data
Chris Bail
Duke University
BIG
Image from Salganik, Bit by Bit
ALWAYS ON
NON-REACTIVE
Link to article here
CAPTURES SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
From Bail et al. (2018)
INACCESSIBLE
NON-REPRESENTATIVE
Source: Pew Research Center
DRIFTING
ALGORITHIMICALLY CONFOUNDED
From Lazer et al. (2014)
UNSTRUCTURED
SENSITIVE
INCOMPLETE
ELITE/PUBLICATION BIAS
POSITIVITY-BIAS
From Nature, see also this great example
THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL TRACE DATA
See Salganik, Bit by Bit
THE FUTURE MIGHT BE HYBRID
