white’s three disciplines and relative valuation orders, countering the social ignorance of...

8/8/2019 Whites Three Disciplines and Relative Valuation Orders, countering the social ignorance of automated analysis and mining techniques

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WhitesWhites TThreehree DDisciplines andisciplines and

RRelativeelative VValuationaluation OOrderrder

Countering the social ignorance ofautomated data collection and analysis

Steven McDermott (Author)

[email protected]

Institute of CommunicationsStudies, University of Leeds

International Conference on

Advances in Social Networks

Analysis and Mining, 9-11

August 2010.


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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?


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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 thenature 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?


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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.


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Netdoms are first order elements from whichnetworks and domains derive.

Networks are the formations of stories andstories are the formation of networks.

Disciplines emerge out of network forms as thestruggle for control comes to rest on a valuationorder.

Whites three genres of disciplines; interface,

council and arena each with a distinct processand valuation order.


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SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS

The rhizomatic model of knowledge results in anetwork 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 withtotal inclusiveness.

Knox et al., (2006) argue that Social NetworkAnalysis focus on structuralism has in recentyears shifted to attempts at developing a culturalapproach.


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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.


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January 2009

EXTRACTING THE SOCIAL NETWORKUSING HYPERLINK NETWORK ANALYSIS


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February 2009


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March 2009


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April 2009


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Close-up of Singapore blogosphere in

Jan 2009


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CORPUS DATA COLLECTION AND

ANALYSIS Internet mirroring created files of 24 megabytes for the two monthsin the paper. Now though the approach generates 70-80mbs.

Manually analysing so much data would increase human error andallow the bias of the researcher to skew interpretations.

As computer software is socially ignorant, the ethnographiccomponent [participant observer in the network for 5 years]to thisapproach enables a socio-cultural reading of the results to ensurethat 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 inwhich the concept occurs.


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First Attempt...


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January 2009 Themes and Concepts

1,432 sites

(70.9 MBs)


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February 2009 Themes and Concepts

1,216 sites

(62.2 MBs)


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March 2009 Themes and Concepts

1,201 sites

(71.7 MBs)


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April 2009 Themes and Concepts

1,232 sites

(72.3 MBs)


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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 Upgradingand 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).


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THEMES AND DISCIPLINES

The use ofLeximancerhighlights the themes and conceptsthat aid in enlarging the scope of awareness that I have as aparticipant 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 asnumerous story sets that I was not.

A query of the concept Singapore brought to my attentionbloggers that I was unaware and concepts that wereassociated with Singapore for that month, such as NationCheated.


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Themes and Topics


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CONCLUDING REMARKS

The ethnographic approach is integral to unpacking the social andcultural forces that are at work within and withoutthe network.

Singapore blogosphere has embedded via dependence as it hasbecome locked together with the external disciplines of theSingapore 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 postsand the quality of sources. Making qualitythe dominant valuationorder of the Singapore blogosphere.

This leads to the conclusion that it is an interface discipline.


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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 Tsengs,

(2006) reading of the Singapore blogosphere.

It may have been isolated in 2006 but by 2009 shows clearlinks 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

[email protected]

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