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White’s T hree D isciplines and R elative V aluation O rder

White’s T hree D isciplines and R elative V aluation O rder. Countering the social ignorance of automated data collection and analysis. International Conference on Advances in Social Networks Analysis and Mining, 9-11 August 2010. Steven McDermott (Author) S.E.McDermott@leeds.ac.uk

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White’s T hree D isciplines and R elative V aluation O rder

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  1. White’s Three Disciplines and Relative ValuationOrder Countering the social ignorance of automated data collection and analysis International Conference on Advances in Social Networks Analysis and Mining, 9-11 August 2010. Steven McDermott (Author) S.E.McDermott@leeds.ac.uk Institute of Communications Studies, University of Leeds

  2. Overview • This paper sits within the wider debate regarding the emancipatory nature of the Internet in authoritarian regimes (Habermas, 2006), with Singapore as a case study. • A concern is to ensure that the “social” and cultural aspects of domains are represented in social network analysis. • The discourse of – Network Analysis – is gaining hegemonic ground and to remain truly descriptive rather than prescriptive needs to allow for other forms of organisation. • Is there room for a critical social network analysis – allowing for self-reflexivity as well as emancipatory applications of the methods?

  3. IntroductionChoice of Case Study • The Singapore blogosphere was described by Lin, Sundaram, Chi, Tatemura, and Tseng, (2007) and Hurst (2006), as an isolated and distinct network with no theme or focus. • We rarely find a community that is absolutely isolated. • What are the methods of control and what is the nature of the Singapore identity online? • Where does power reside within the blogosphere? • Will an analysis of the discourse present us with the identity of the blogosphere?

  4. SOCIAL NETWORK THEORY • Social structure and culture are part of the complexities of discursive practices of those who populate the institutions and organisations. • The accessing and assessing that passes between the identities are the entangled chaotic mix of culture and social structure from which meanings emerge.

  5. Netdoms are first order elements from which networks and domains derive. • Networks are the formations of stories and stories are the formation of networks. • Disciplines emerge out of network forms as the struggle for control comes to rest on a valuation order. • White’s three genres of disciplines; interface, council and arena each with a distinct process and valuation order.

  6. SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS • The rhizomatic model of knowledge results in a network model that is chaotic. • The logic of the connection in the rhizomatic network is movement. • There is no hierarchy; no node takes precedence over another. The order is in constant flux with total inclusiveness. • Knox et al., (2006) argue that Social Network Analysis’ focus on structuralism has in recent years shifted to attempts at developing a cultural approach.

  7. NETWORK ETHNOGRAPHY • My major concern with research conducted on the Singapore blogosphere by Lin, Sundaram, Chi, Tatemura, and Tseng, (2006) and Hurst (2006) was that it led to technological and/or organizational determinism. • Applying an online ethnography should overcome this.

  8. EXTRACTING THE SOCIAL NETWORK USING HYPERLINK NETWORK ANALYSIS January 2009

  9. February 2009

  10. March 2009

  11. April 2009

  12. Close-up of Singapore blogosphere in Jan 2009

  13. CORPUS DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS • Internet mirroring created files of 24 megabytes for the two months in the paper. Now though the approach generates 70-80mbs. • Manually analysing so much data would increase human error and allow the bias of the researcher to skew interpretations. • As computer software is socially ignorant, the ethnographic component [participant observer in the network for 5 years]to this approach enables a socio-cultural reading of the results to ensure that themes highlighted by the software make sense. • The emergent themes enable a quick reading of the large corpus. • Emergent themes are visible to the user, and are expandable using the map visualisation that links directly to the areas of the corpus in which the concept occurs.

  14. First Attempt...

  15. January 2009 – Themes and Concepts 1,432 sites (70.9 MBs)

  16. February 2009 – Themes and Concepts 1,216 sites (62.2 MBs)

  17. March 2009 – Themes and Concepts 1,201 sites (71.7 MBs)

  18. April 2009 – Themes and Concepts 1,232 sites (72.3 MBs)

  19. Reading the Corpus • The top ranking concepts that appear alongside the concept of government (the most dominant theme for Jan 2009) are ‘opinion’, ‘views’, indicating that voice was an important factor within the Singapore online contextualisation of ‘government’ in January 2009. Below are example quotes from a ‘government’ query. The example quotations are said to be characteristic of the use of the query term. 1./jan2009/www.cherian.blogspot.com/index~1.html/1/1_249 “The fact of the matter is that it is untenable for the PAP government to preside over a Singapore that includes any urban slum. Whoever the MP is, the government will have to intervene before any HDB estate becomes decrepit.” 8. /jan2009/topmleehsienloong.blogspot.com/index~1.html/1/1_52 “Jobs for Singaporeans. The Government will spend $5.1 billion to help Singaporeans stay employed so they can continue to support their families by introducing a, Enhancing SPUR, (Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience) providing a WIS Special Payment and expanding recruitment across the public sector. Stimulating Bank Lending The Government will extend $5.8 billion of government capital to stimulate bank lending through enhancing existing schemes and a new Special Risk-Sharing Initiative (SRI).”

  20. THEMES AND DISCIPLINES • The use of Leximancer highlights the themes and concepts that aid in enlarging the scope of awareness that I have as a participant observer within the network. • It increases my scope of awareness as an observer, well beyond my own ego-network of daily interaction. • The skill of ‘reading’ the maps requires an awareness of the social context in which the data was gathered. • It highlights story sets that I was aware of as well as numerous story sets that I was not. • A query of the concept Singapore brought to my attention bloggers that I was unaware and concepts that were associated with Singapore for that month, such as ‘Nation Cheated’.

  21. Themes and Topics

  22. CONCLUDING REMARKS • The ethnographic approach is integral to unpacking the social and cultural forces that are at work within and without the network. • Singapore blogosphere has embedded via dependence as it has become locked together with the external disciplines of the Singapore government and government affiliated mainstream press. • There is little interest in reaching out to control or gain action and so the flows of information remain within its own boundaries. • Bloggers are primarily concerned with the quality of the blog posts and the quality of sources. Making quality the dominant valuation order of the Singapore blogosphere. • This leads to the conclusion that it is an interface discipline.

  23. The Singapore blogosphere is not an isolated and distinct network without theme or focus. • It is split along ethnic factions. • Has themes that arise, dissipate and re-occur over time. • This ‘assigned normality’ of flux - contrasts with the fixed and rigid nature of the Lin, Sundaram, Chi, Tatemura, and Tseng’s, (2006) reading of the Singapore blogosphere. • It may have been ‘isolated’ in 2006 but by 2009 shows clear links to the wider global blogosphere. • There is little talk of ‘action’ offline. Steven McDermott (Author) Institute of Communications Studies University of Leeds Leeds, United Kingdom S.E.McDermott@leeds.ac.uk

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