Big Data Insights Into Social Macro Trends: Expanding the Horizon (1800–2018)
ABSTRACT This article examines how big data can inform and challenge established theories and future visions of society. Utilising the most recent version of the arguably largest free online corpus, the Google Books corpus (version 20200217), we replicate and enhance Roth et al.'s (2019a) systems‐theoretical methodology for analysing macro social trends. Thus extending the sample period into the postmillennium era, we detect tectonic shifts in macro social trends that are likely to be as consequential as the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity. We conclude that a ‘Next Theory’ is required to overcome analytical biases to political and economic trends and to remain sensitive to current and potential future changes in other domains of society, including health.
Authors
- Krešimir Žažar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6133-8625)
- Harry F. Dahms (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2939-7008)
- Theresa Arnold (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3844-9511)
- Vladislav Valentinov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4247-0364)
- Augusto Sales (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9636-3372)
- Stephan Roth (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3778-1360)
- Juliana Mansur (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7525-0691)
Institutions
- Witten/Herdecke University (DE)
- University of Zagreb (HR)
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- Kazimieras Simonavičius University (LT)
- Hospital do Servidor Público Municipal (BR)
- Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (DE)
- Excelia Business School (FR)
- Escola Brasileira de Administração Pública e de Empresas
- University of Tennessee at Knoxville (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Systems Research and Behavioral Science
- Published
- 2025-07-19
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/sres.3175
- Primary Topic
- COVID-19 epidemiological studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00