From Chaos to Clarity: The Transformative Impact of Metadata on Research

In a world overflowing with data, metadata operates behind the scenes, quietly orchestrating how we organize, analyse, and understand information. But what exactly is metadata, and why does it matter so much for research? This lightning talk shines a spotlight on the "data about data" and its vital role in making the digital data universe functional. Metadata provides the context, structure, and meaning that raw data alone cannot. It’s what turns an overwhelming flood of information into something searchable, usable, and actionable and which allows us to develop sound scientific evidence. Metadata helps us navigate, organize, and make sense of the digital chaos. This talk will explore how metadata impacts our daily lives, with real-world examples from social science research areas such as public opinion analysis where it is crucial to judge the analysed data such as social media posts based on metadata like context, geolocation, timestamp or the number of times the post has been shared. Other example will come from migration studies, and educational outcomes tracking. It will also touch on the challenges and opportunities metadata presents, from privacy concerns to its transformative role in artificial intelligence and predictive analytics. For example, when using them in the health sector to develop algorithms that detect a tendency for self-harm or depression in speech patterns. In just a few minutes, you’ll discover why metadata is the engine driving the future research and how AI plays a crucial role. Join us to uncover how metadata shapes the way we interact with the world and why understanding it is key to unlocking the full potential of current data-driven social science research.