Citizen Mindscapes – open data from the minds of the Finnish people | University of Helsinki
lterrat's bookmarks 2017-08-20
Summary:
"Suomi24 is one of Finland’s most popular open discussion forums. It invites discussion on almost any topic. In the Citizen Mindscapes (@Mindscapes24) research project, approximately 20 researchers from three universities and several research units are focusing on this material of online discussions. One of the most important people for the research is Krista Lagus, cognitive scientist and researcher of information technology methodology.
[...]
In her work, Lagus analyses large digital text resources. The research material proper consists of discussions from the Suomi24 forum. But why should we be interested in what anonymous people are shouting at each other in the recesses of the internet?
'Discussion forums form the foundation of national discussions. Anyone can make themselves heard there. It's important to hear and understand the opinions of the nation. We have a valuable research resource in our hand which can help us better understand each other,' explains Lagus."