188宝金博页面版

International Journal of Communication 20(2026), 235–239 1932–8036/20260005 Big Data Discourses: Introduction to the Special Section Introduction CHARLOTTE KNORR 1 Leipzig University, Germany LMU Munich, Germany CHRISTIAN PENTZOLD Leipzig University, Germany Big data discourses are integral to how we come to understand and engage with datafication. This IJoC Special Section explores the semantics of big data in contemporary society. By weaving together three central themes—big data’s materiality, the role of emerging technologies, and the sensemaking around datafication—it interrogates how communication, imagination, and social practices shape and are shaped by the expanding landscape of data-driven innovation. The contributions offer interdisciplinary perspectives on the semantics, imaginaries, and social implications of big data, drawing on empirical research and critical theory to illuminate the evolving relationship between technology, discourse, and meaning-making in the digital age. Keywords: big data, datafication, sensemaking, discourse, digital society Starting from the observation that data and its technologies have become an integral part of everyday life, this Special Section brings together contributions that take issue with public deliberation and imaginaries around datafication. The relationship between technology and meaning-making is neither linear nor unidirectional. As Feenberg (2002) reminds us, “while social institutions adapt to technological development, the process of adaptation is reciprocal, and technology changes in response to the conditions in which it finds itself as much as it influences them” (p. 143). In that respect, the Special Section foregrounds the mutual constitution of technological artifacts and social realities. Charlotte Knorr: charlotte.knorr@ifkw.lmu.de Christian Pentzold: christian.pentzold@uni-leipzig.de Date submitted: 2025-11-20 1 The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The research has been funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under grant 447465824/PE2436/3-1. Copyright © 2026 (Charlotte Knorr and Christian Pentzold). Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives (by-nc-nd). Available at https://ijoc.org.