Digital Methods

The notion of digital methods as it was introduced by Richard Rogers refers to a research program that goes beyond the mere use of digital tools for researching digital media. It rather aims “to learn from the so-called method of the medium, that is, how online devices treat web data” (Rogers 2019, 4). At the center is the dictum “follow the medium” (Rogers 2009, 10) to expose the specific methods of digital media on the one hand and to appropriate and repurpose them for new approaches in social research on the other hand. For following the medium and for studying social and cultural transformations grounded in digital media a broad range of research tools have been developed and made available throughout the past decade.

This pages contains references to collections of digital methods tools which are typically maintained by research institutions. Furthermore, it contains a section listing general resources and tutorials regarding digital research. For references to resrouces for specific objects of study, like platforms, software, games and web history see the respective pages.

Relevant Tool Collections

Digital Methods Initiative

The Digital Methods Initiative develops and maintains a broad range of tools that allow for the collection, cleaning, processing, analysis and visualization of data. Most tools are web based and can be used directly. Yet, some require registration (e.g. Issuecrawler, 4Cat) or need to be installed on your local computer or server (e.g. TCAT). The DMI Tool Database groups tools by type of media analysis, data treatment, web element, device and web sphere.

Sciences Po médialab

The médialab at Sciences Po is an interdisciplinary research laboratory invested in developing methods and tools for investigating the role of digital technologies in societies. The tools are aimed at harvesting, curating, processing, exploring, visulizing as well as publishing.

  • Notable tools:
    • Hyphe: A research-driven web-crawler aimed at building, curating and categorizing a corpus of web actors and the network graph of hyperlinks connecting them.
    • Table 2 Net: An online tool that allows users to create a network graph in a few clicks from a csv file.
    • I Want Hue: A web based tool for generating color palettes.
  • Important links:

App Studies Tools

The App Studies Initiative maintains a list of research tools for studying apps and app store ecologies.

Digital Research Tutorials and Resources (including Programming)

References

Rogers, Richard. 2009. The End of the Virtual: Digital Methods; Inaugural Lecture Delivered on the Appointment to the Chair of New Media & Digital Culture at the University of Amsterdam on 8 May 2009. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. http://site.ebrary.com/id/10363484.

———. 2019. Doing Digital Methods. Thousand Oaks: SAGE.