Title: Tracing Networks of Knowledge in the Digital Age,
Abstract: The emergence of new digital technologies has allowed the study of human
behaviour at a scale and at level of granularity that were unthinkable just a
decade ago. In particular, by analysing the digital traces left by people
interacting in the online and offline worlds, we are able to trace the
spreading of knowledge and ideas at both local and global scales.
In this article we will discuss how these digital traces can be used to map
knowledge across the world, outlining both the limitations and the challenges
in performing this type of analysis. We will focus on data collected from
social media platforms, large-scale digital repositories and mobile data.
Finally, we will provide an overview of the tools that are available to
scholars and practitioners for understanding these processes using these
emerging forms of data.