Critical Paths for Data Analysis in Social Sciences: Practical Application for Analyzing Data on Polarization, Populism, and Post-Truth (3 P’s)

With the expansion of technological tools for data analysis, the integration of theoretical, methodological, and technical aspects has become essential in the social sciences and humanities. Building data models—such as Data Warehouses, Data Lakes, and dashboards—requires researchers to take an active role in decisions like variable selection, data categorization, and the creation of analytical indicators, ensuring that the models meet the complex needs of social research. By aligning research questions, hypotheses, and methods with the capabilities and limitations of data analysis, researchers can better address complex relationships between dimensions, categories, and analytical measures, enabling greater versatility and scalability for robust, contemporary analyses.

As a practical example, this proposal applies to the analysis of discourses in social media related to Polarization, Populism, and Post-Truth (3 P's), phenomena that have challenged social scientists' understanding in the current digital context. However, the model and principles discussed here are broadly applicable to other areas of iinvestigation in sociology and across the social sciences, fostering more balanced interdisciplinary collaboration and communication between social science researchers and information technology specialists. This ensures that control over the analytical process remains with the researchers, who can draw on the expertise and advice of data analysts, without compromising theoretical and contextual integrity.

The topics for discussion are:
1. Developing effective data models applicable to the analysis of complex social phenomena.
2. Enabling researchers to have more control and autonomy over critical decisions in data collection and analysis.
3. Promoting interdisciplinary cooperation between social sciences and IT, while maintaining theoretical rigor in the analyses.
4. Presenting a practical application for analyzing discourses in social media related to Polarization, Populism, and Post-Truth (3 P's).