@article{2026:bock:made_cont,
title = {Made, Contested, Invisible – A Critical Data Studies Perspective on Reimagining Methodology in a Datafied Communication Science},
year = {2026},
note = {This paper explores how Critical Data Studies (CDS) and communication
studies can enrich each other, particularly in the context of the
current uptake of methodological approaches supported by large-scale
data analytics and “AI.” First, the paper discusses the
entanglement of Science and Technology Studies (STS) and CDS as a
theoretical and methodological framework. Second, it highlights key
assumptions of CDS: (1) the “made-ness” of data, which emphasizes
that data are not neutral, but shaped by algorithms and practices; (2)
the “interpretative sovereignty over data,” which addresses power
relations and access barriers in data analysis; and (3) the
“(in-)visibility of data,” which concerns the de- and
recontextualization of data and their (in)visibility in research
processes. Third, two methodological examples—data journeys and the
walkthrough approach—illustrate how CDS approaches are applied in
communication studies. The paper concludes by emphasizing the
importance of cooperative collaboration between different scientific
disciplines and paradigms to develop innovative and critical
methodological approaches capable of addressing the challenges of
future-oriented communication studies in a data-infused,
algorithmically orchestrated society.},
journal = {M&K Medien & Kommunikationswissenschaft},
pages = {88--101},
author = {Bock, Annekatrin},
volume = {74},
number = {1}
}