New Paradigm of Computational Sociology

“Data is one of the most important technical elements in the era of intelligent economy. Since the advent of the Internet, improving the efficiency of data exchange while reducing its cost is one of the most vital feature of digital economy. As AI technology continues developing and “data + algorithm + hashrate” has become the basic dynamic of the digital economy, data value is increasingly important. Academically, a series of research methods derived from data have gradually become new paradigms for scholars to do research. One of examples among them is “computer sociology”. Generally speaking, as a branch of sociology, computational sociology employs intensive calculation to analyze and model social phenomena. The discipline develops and tests the theories of complex social processes by modeling social interactions from the bottom to the top with tools like computer simulation, artificial intelligence, sophisticated statistical methods, and new approaches such as social network analysis, etc. It contains the understanding of social actors, their interactions with each other, and the impact of those interactions on society as a whole. Although the theme and the method of social science are different from that of natural sciences or computer science, the methods adopted in the current simulation of society still originate from areas such as physics and artificial intelligence, and some methods from social science have also been incorporated in the natural sciences, such as in the field of social network analysis and network science, measurement of network centrality, etc.