White's Three Disciplines and Relative Valuation Order: Countering the Social Ignorance of Automated Data Collection and Analysis

This paper asks which of White’s (2009) three disciplines and relative valuation orders does the Singapore blogosphere adhere to. Analysing not just the hyperlink connections but the textual discourse; and in doing so attempts to highlight certain limitations of using automated data mining and analysis software. Using the Singapore blogosphere, described by Lin, Sundaram, Chi, Tatemura, and Tseng, (2006) and Hurst (2006), as an isolated and distinct network with no theme or focus, I have targeted blogs using social network analysis uncovering the key players, with higher levels of ‘betweenness centrality’ (de Nooy & Mrvar et al., 2005) and the themes and discipline of the Singapore blogosphere. This case study will help highlight the analytic framework, benefits and limitations of using social network analysis and an ethnographical approach to networks. This paper also highlights the use of various software technology; blogs, IssueCrawler, HTTrack, NetDraw, and Leximancer while using an ethnographic approach to counter the social ignorance of automated electronic software.