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Web Browsing Data to Study Digital Political Behavior, with Prof. Sebastian Stier
Episode 174

Web Browsing Data to Study Digital Political Behavior, with Prof. Sebastian Stier

Prof. Sebastian Stier, Scientific Director of Computational Social Science at GESIS and Professor of CSS at the University of Mannheim, discusses how web tracking data can inform social science questions. We discuss the data structure of web browsing data, how it is collected, and the types of incentives used to recruit participants. Prof. Stier also shares his insights and research integrating web browsing data with survey data, as well as how LLMs are opening up new methodological avenues in simulated data.

Social Media and Politics

May 5, 202436m 42s

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Show Notes

Prof. Sebastian Stier, Scientific Director of Computational Social Science at GESIS and Professor of CSS at the University of Mannheim, discusses how web tracking data can inform social science questions.  We discuss the data structure of web browsing data, how it is collected, and the types of incentives used to recruit participants. Prof. Stier also shares his insights and research integrating web browsing data with survey data, as well as how LLMs are opening up new methodological avenues in simulated data.

Here are the resources mentioned in the episode: 

Analysis of Web Browsing Data: A Guide (2023)

Integrating Survey Data and Digital Trace Data: Key Issues in Developing an Emerging Field (2020)

Post Post-Broadcast Democracy? News Exposure in the Age of Online Intermediaries (2022)

The two R packages: webtrackR and adaR

Topics

cssmetholodyweb tracking dataweb browsing datasocial science methodsllms political sciencepolitical communicationsearch enginespolitical communication researchdigital trace dataapi researchapi social mediasocial media apisweb trackingresearch facebooknews exposurepolitical science methodscomputational social sciencesocial media researchuser behavior