Big Qual Analysis of Social Media with SAM: Meaning, Networks and Change (bookings closed)
Date:
27/11/2026
Organised by:
BigQualDataLabs Ltd
Presenter(s):
Dr Sam Martin
Level:
Entry (no or almost no prior knowledge)
Contact:
Dr Sam Martin
Email: drsam@bigqualdatalabs.com
Please contact us by email for course enquiries.
Venue: Online
Friday 27 November 2026, 10:30–12:00 GMT (UK time, Europe/London). Live online via Zoom with automatic English captions.
Registration will open soon. Please visit the course website for booking updates and enquiries.
Social-media collections bring together experiences, arguments, humour and competing understandings of public issues. This introductory session explores a Big Qual approach that connects patterns across a collection with close reading of particular posts and comments.
Tutor demonstrations introduce SAM Collect routes for Bluesky and YouTube alongside imported research material. Prepared examples show how platform context, sampling boundaries and the unit of analysis shape the questions a collection can address. The session distinguishes video-related material from comments and considers whose contributions are visible.
Selected topic, sentiment and stance views provide starting points for enquiry. An entity or topic co-occurrence network illustrates how connections can guide further reading, and a short comparison examines differences across bounded collections or appropriately dated periods. Researchers define the analytical question, assess the source evidence and consider counterexamples. Discussion will address the limits of interpreting selected online material as evidence about wider populations. The focus remains on a small number of explained analytical decisions.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. Describe a collection's source boundaries, sampling choices and unit of analysis.
2. Use an analytical overview to formulate a question for closer reading.
3. Explain a text-network connection through its supporting source records.
4. Develop a qualified comparison that accounts for differences in collection design.
Audience and prerequisites
For social science researchers, evaluators and analysts interested in digital public discussion. Qualitative research familiarity is helpful; previous SAM experience is unnecessary.
Practical output
A worked digital research question, an interpreted network observation and a source-supported comparison.
Duration
90 minutes, including a five-minute screen break.
Trainer: Dr Sam Martin, digital sociologist and developer of Social Analysis of Meaning (SAM).
Course enquiries and accessibility requests: drsam@bigqualdatalabs.com.
Cost:
£60 standard / £40 student-access. Booking fees are included. No VAT is charged because BigQualDataLabs Ltd is not VAT registered.
Region:
Greater London
Keywords:
Frameworks for Research and Research Designs, Qualitative Data Handling and Data Analysis, ICT and Software, Digital research, social-media research, qualitative data analysis, text analysis, network methods
Related publications and presentations from our eprints archive:
Frameworks for Research and Research Designs
Qualitative Data Handling and Data Analysis
ICT and Software