‘Un-bracketing Technology’: Rethinking and Reshaping the Methodology of Digital Sociology
“技术解围”:不确定性视角下数字社会学研究的方法论反思及其变革
Résumé
The innovation of methodology is a key task of digital sociology, and its theoretical interest lies in "un-bracketing" sociology's long-standing technological dilemma. However, the methodology of digital sociology research is uncertain in many aspects, including the uncertainty of research objects, method orientation, research tools, and research relationships. Starting from the transformation of methodological awareness, we can explore a methodological change path that includes uncertainty. Advocate the principle of "mixed", emphasize the multiple values of digital sociology methodology and highlight the use of "mixed method"; develop "test method" to examine the unknown capabilities of different social research methods; establish public research relationships, promote sociological knowledge disclosure and public communication, and expand the diversity of sociological presentation forms. These are the requirements for the methodology of digital sociology in the digital age, and also imply the development direction of China's digital sociology.
方法论创新是数字社会学研究的一项重点工作，其理论旨趣在于解围社会学长期以来的技术困境。然而，数字社会学研究的方法论不确定性是多方面的，包括研究对象、方法取向、研究工具和研究关系的不确定性。从方法论意识的转变出发，可以探讨一种接纳不确定性的方法论变革路径：主张混合性原则，强调数字社会学方法论的价值多重性和突出混合式方法的运用；发展“测试方法”，对不同社会研究方法的未知能力进行测试；建立公共性的研究关系，促进社会学知识公开和公共交流，拓展社会学呈现形式的多样性。这不仅是数字时代应用于数字社会学研究的方法论要求，同时也蕴含了中国数字社会学的未来发展方向。