Critical Text Mining: Ethical Paradigms for Determining Emoji Frequency in #blacklivesmatter

Since text mining is a method grounded in computer science, linguistics, data science, quantitative methods, and (often) empirical research, the former is too often subject to generalized algorithmic critique by humanities scholars or, conversely, critiqued or defended as an objective apolitical method. By contrast, critical text mining is the explicit articulation of an ethical framework (positive or critique-driven) for enacting some sort of activist text mining research method or practice. Echoing tenets of this edited collection and critical making as a whole, critical text mining can help situate theory and practice in reciprocally emerging relations that are guided by a positive but contingent and situational ethics.