On 5 June the masterclass Big Data & the Hollowing Out of the Social with Prof. Nick Couldry (London School of Economics and Political Science) will take place.

This masterclass will explore how the social quantification sector is shaping society. It seeks to spark discussion about the social knowledge generated by this new form of colonialism, concerned with normalizing the exploitation of human beings for data, and the implications it has for social inequality and social justice. It explores the limits of a social world that is governed by social caching and proxy. Furthermore it discusses what the human and social sciences can do to counter this “hollowing out of the social”.

After an introductory talk by Prof. Nick Couldry, three papers by doctoral candidates will be presented. A general discussion will follow.