The mass production of digital data has rapidly opened up the possibility of exploiting information in unprecedented quantities. Numerous human activities can now be analyzed using new methods. The digital traces of users of search engines, social networks or online shopping sites generate an unprecedented mass of information, not only on Internet usage in general, but also on individuals' centers of interest, their consumer practices, or their political or religious leanings. Beyond the Internet, a similar mass production of digital data is ensured by a growing number of connected objects (human presence sensors, geolocation systems, electricity consumption records, urban mobility systems such as Vélib, etc.). This phenomenon is often referred to as "Big Data".
Organized around three main themes, the general aim of this study day is to shed light on the issues raised by these developments for the social sciences. Firstly, the approach consists of drawing up an overview of the social uses of mass digital data, whether strictly academic or more instrumental, without forgetting to place these uses in a socio-historical perspective. In particular, this leads us to question the relevance of comments about the "revolutionary" nature of the phenomenon. Secondly, we'll look at Big Data as a field of investigation for the social sciences: what do these objects reveal about the social world in which they are deployed, and how can they be studied? Finally, we'll look at digital mass data as a tool for social science research: what perspectives do they open up for sociology, economics and the humanities, and what practical problems of storage, exploitation and interpretation do they raise? Based on this approach, the aim is to take a cross-disciplinary look at the uses and sharing of mass digital data, whether for commercial, scientific or evaluative purposes. This will be an opportunity to consider the possible impact of the industrialization of massive data on economic, political and scientific activities: does it lead to the emergence of new markets, new forms of public action, new research practices?