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Experts question politicians' 'big data' claims on term extension
Experts have cautioned against relying on big data analysis, arguing that questionable methodology and potential lack of representation in the data-gathering process could lead to distorted conclusions in capturing public opinion on certain discourses.
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Several politicians have claimed that big data analysis reveals that a majority of Indonesians support the idea of extending President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo term in office, a claim disputed by experts. (Shutterstock/-)
O
ver the past few weeks, some of the country’s most prominent political names have cited findings from big data analysis, mainly derived from conversations on social media, to back contentious claims that a majority of Indonesians support extending President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s term of office.
But experts have cautioned against relying on such analysis, arguing that questionable methodology and a potential lack of representation in the data-gathering process could lead to distorted conclusions in capturing public opinion on certain discourses.
They point out that recent polls have revealed a stark contrast with politicians’ claims, as most of the respondents have said they would like to see the 2024 elections be held as scheduled.
This, experts argue, reveals that while big data analysis enables researchers to gain real-time insights into certain public discourses, public surveys conducted by credible pollsters, particularly those that have rigorous methodological standards, provide a more accurate assessment of public opinion.
What is big data?
Big data usually refers to a large dataset that typically has three characteristics, namely high volume, high velocity and high variety. The sources of the data are also usually more complex, including social media and mobile devices, as well as other Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
Ismail Fahmi, whose company Drone Emprit specializes in big data analysis from social media, said the process of gathering big data from social media usually started by creating algorithms to vet social media content so that researchers can only capture relevant posts that are related to the researched topics.
