Winter 2025
“Called It”: Prediction and Sensemaking in the 2024 Election
Instructors: Nina Lutz and Kate Starbird
We will curate and begin analysis of a dataset of cross platform narratives and instances of people "Calling It" during the course of the 2024 Presidential Election Season -- from calling Senate races to Biden stepping down to astrologers predicting Harris would win or tarot cards saying RFK and Trump would be co-presidents. We want to gather, curate this dataset, and set the stages for analysis of it. We want to understand -- what role did prediction play in sensemaking across different online communities and how did predictive trends and tactics vary across different interfaces and communities?
Roles will involve developing queries and computationally and manually collecting and curating data for analysis, as well as thematic analysis and beginning some inductive coding of the data.
Students who stick with the project and complete additional tasks will have the opportunity for authorship on an academic paper.
This DRG is may continue in Spring 2025 quarter as well, pending research progress and needs!
This DRG has some returning students from the election and border crisis work, but we seek about 2 new students!
Enrollment information
- Meeting time: TBD based on the google form availabilities!
- Credits: 2-3
- Who should apply: People interested in social media analysis and predictions (astrology, betting markets, election polls, etc!)
- This DRG counts toward the directed research requirement for PhD students.
- Application: Apply using this Google Form
- Application deadline: December 12, 2024
- Anticipated notification date: December 20, 2024
- Questions? Email Nina Lutz, PhD Student, at ninalutz@uw.edu