Data colonialism through accumulation by dispossession: New metaphors for daily data

TL;DR: In recent years, much has been written on "big data" in both the popular and academic press as discussed by the authors, suggesting that increasingly pervasive data collection and quantification may have significant implications for the social sciences even if the social, scientific, political, and economic agendas behind big data are less new than they are often portrayed.

Abstract: In recent years, much has been written on ‘big data’ in both the popular and academic press. After the hubristic declaration of the ‘end of theory’ more nuanced arguments have emerged, suggesting that increasingly pervasive data collection and quantification may have significant implications for the social sciences, even if the social, scientific, political, and economic agendas behind big data are less new than they are often portrayed. Compared to the boosterish tone of much of its press, academic critiques of big data have been relatively muted, often focusing on the continued importance of more traditional forms of domain knowledge and expertise. Indeed, many academic responses to big data enthusiastically celebrate the availability of new data sources and the potential for new insights and perspectives they may enable. Undermining many of these critiques is a lack of attention to the role of technology in society, particularly with respect to the labor process, the continued extension of labor relati...