IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/qualqt/v57y2023i2d10.1007_s11135-022-01394-w.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Analyzing networks in communication: a mixed methods study of a political debate

Author

Listed:
  • Jan A. Fuhse

    (Chemnitz University of Technology)

Abstract

How can we detect and analyze network ties in non-reactive communication data? Previous network research mostly relies on the mere occurrence of events between actors (e.g., e-mails, citations). The paper proposes combining qualitative interpretation of communication and formal quantitative analysis. Conversation analysis and interactional sociolinguistics give us methods to qualitatively discern how actors are related in communication (relational meaning). This can be typified into kinds of relational events like “attack” or “support”. Types of social relationships (“alliance” or “conflict”) are characterized by specific combinations of relational events. These methods are used exemplarily to analyze a televised political debate between six party representatives in Germany. Three prominent types of relational events are identified qualitatively: interruptions that are supportive or adversarial, and accounts of action. Hierarchical cluster analysis shows these relational events to fall into four types of relations (alliance, all-out attack, moderate attack, ignore).

Suggested Citation

  • Jan A. Fuhse, 2023. "Analyzing networks in communication: a mixed methods study of a political debate," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 57(2), pages 1207-1230, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:qualqt:v:57:y:2023:i:2:d:10.1007_s11135-022-01394-w
    DOI: 10.1007/s11135-022-01394-w
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11135-022-01394-w
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11135-022-01394-w?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Anna Keuchenius & Petter Törnberg & Justus Uitermark, 2021. "Why it is important to consider negative ties when studying polarized debates: A signed network analysis of a Dutch cultural controversy on Twitter," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(8), pages 1-23, August.
    2. Jan Fuhse & Sophie Mützel, 2011. "Tackling connections, structure, and meaning in networks: quantitative and qualitative methods in sociological network research," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 45(5), pages 1067-1089, August.
    3. David K. Diehl, 2019. "Language and interaction: applying sociolinguistics to social network analysis," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 53(2), pages 757-774, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ronaldo Tavares Souza, 2020. "Box-scheme as alternative food network—the economic integration between consumers and producers," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 8(1), pages 1-25, December.
    2. Feng Wang & Jing Ren & Juan Liu & Mingru Dong & Bin Yan & Hui Zhao, 2021. "Spatial correlation network and population mobility effect of regional haze pollution: empirical evidence from Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration in China," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(11), pages 15881-15896, November.
    3. Kirschbaum, Charles, 2013. "A 'Nested Narratives' Project: theoretical grounding and methodological implications," Insper Working Papers wpe_308, Insper Working Paper, Insper Instituto de Ensino e Pesquisa.
    4. Ratinen, Mari, 2019. "Social embeddedness of policy actors. The failure of consumer-owned wind energy in Finland," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 735-743.
    5. Klaus Seiberth & Ansgar Thiel, 2021. "Should I Stay or Should I Go? The Impact of Social Networks on the Choice to Play for a National Team in Football," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-16, July.
    6. David K. Diehl, 2023. "What exactly is “social” about social networks?: Accounting for socio-cultural context in networks of human interaction," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 57(2), pages 1369-1392, April.
    7. Maria D’Esposito & Susanna Zaccarin, 2011. "Editorial: Applied and methodological issues in the analysis of network data," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 45(5), pages 985-987, August.
    8. Emmanuel I. Ogbenjuwa & Friday E. Akpan, 2024. "Analyzing the Effects of the Adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards by Listed Companies in Nigeria," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(8), pages 625-649, August.
    9. David K. Diehl, 2019. "Language and interaction: applying sociolinguistics to social network analysis," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 53(2), pages 757-774, March.
    10. Elisa Bellotti, 2016. "Qualitative Methods and Visualizations in the Study of Friendship Networks," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 21(2), pages 198-216, May.
    11. Aryuna Kim & Daria Maltseva, 2024. "Qualitative social network analysis: studying the field through the bibliographic approach," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 58(1), pages 385-411, February.
    12. Stein, C. & Barron, Jennie, 2017. "Mapping actors along value chains: integrating visual network research and participatory statistics into value chain analysis," IWMI Books, International Water Management Institute, number 265664.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:qualqt:v:57:y:2023:i:2:d:10.1007_s11135-022-01394-w. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.