Digital sources: a case study of the analysis of the Recovery of Historical Memory in Spain on the social network Twitter

Mariluz Congosto

doi:10.3989/chdj.2018.015

Abstract

The incorporation of digital sources from online social media into historical research brings great opportunities, although it is not without technological challenges. The huge amount of information that can be obtained from these platforms obliges us to resort to the use of quantitative methodologies in which algorithms have special relevance, especially regarding network analysis and data mining. The Recovery of Historical Memory in Spain on the social network Twitter will be analysed in this article. An open-code tool called T-Hoarder was used; it is based on objectivity, transparency and knowledge-sharing. It has been in use since 2012.

Highlights

The digital world is becoming so omnipresent that society is growing increasingly unaware of how immersed in it it is
Of the method that is applied, it must take into account the types of entities that communicate with each other on social media, the manner in which this communication takes place and the restrictions to collecting this information
Formation provided by the Twitter platform about its users, a lack that is always present when analysing data from this social network

Summary

Introduction

The digital world is becoming so omnipresent that society is growing increasingly unaware of how immersed in it it is. Most real-world activities have their equivalent in the digital universe: shopping, entertainment, administrative formalities, conversations with friends and family, etc. There is little that does not have a digital counterpart. This immersion, which has intensified this decade, is bringing about social changes whose impact has not been felt yet. Researchers need to extend their activity into the digital dimension – but the foundations are yet to be laid. The role of media in shaping public opinion is being overtaken by the new digital environment. According to the Estudio General de Medios [General Media Study] conducted from February to November

Objectives

Methods

Findings

Conclusion