Data analytics: on the cusp of using new sources?

Many data analytics settings are moving from conventional formal data sources like censuses and large scale social surveys via the increasing use of administrative data, towards using less formal ‘Big Data’ sources. As society changes researchers seek to combine sources of information to capture social, economic and demographic processes in response to new ways of living. Big Data has the potential to clarify our understanding of the social world yet may confuse if not used with a clear understanding of its limitations with a focus on the ways it can complement rather than supplant existing data.