Noshir Contractor gave a keynote address at the 2016 annual Web Science Summer School held in Koblenz, Germany. Click here for the event page and click here to download slides from the presentation.
Abstract:
The increased access to big data about social phenomena in general, and network data in particular, has been a windfall for social scientists. But these exciting opportunities must be accompanied with careful reflection on how big data can motivate new theories and methods. Using examples of his research, Contractor will argue that Web/Internet/Network Sciences (WINS) serve as the foundation to unleash the intellectual insights locked in big data. More importantly, he will illustrate how these insights offer social scientists an unprecedented opportunity to engage more actively in monitoring, anticipating and designing interventions to address grand societal challenges.