Sociology as a science studies society, its structure and patterns of development. For this, social scientists use special research methods, one of which is content analysis.
What is content analysis?
Content analysis is a scientific method that collects data in the social sciences: sociology, psychology, political science and others. It allows you to dress text and graphic information (any content) in a mathematical form, to express the quality quantitatively. Thanks to this method, the humanities can conduct research in accordance with the criteria of scientific character. The data obtained in the form of numerical indicators is subjected to statistical processing depending on the goals and objectives of the study.
Content analysis in sociology
In sociological science, content analysis can be applied to any sources, the content of which satisfies the interests of the scientist and his research: print, radio and television media, any documents, advertising, site content, the words of the respondent, and much more.
How is content analysis carried out?
The researcher identifies the semantic units of content analysis (words, phrases, text, events, names of people, and so on). The highlighted semantic units express the studied topic. They are necessary in order to designate what exactly the object of research is manifested in, and then calculate what are the features of this manifestation.
Further, when the semantic units are highlighted, the researcher proceeds to count them. He assesses, in percentage terms, how strongly the phenomenon of interest is reflected in a particular information carrier. Thus, the data obtained as a result of processing allows the scientist to draw certain conclusions in accordance with the previously set tasks. The results of content analysis in sociology are most often presented in the form of a table containing the meaning for the study of the selected semantic units. Today, there are many computer programs that make it easier to calculate data in content analysis.
Example of content analysis
The sociological scientist decided to conduct a study on homophobia in print media and compare the indicators of the "N" magazine and the "G" magazine. To do this, he singles out semantic units that will reflect negative sentiments among the authors of articles contained in the journal. The sociologist takes magazines and reads them, highlighting phrases in articles like "Conchita Wurst - Europe is rotting" or "unconventional marriages are unacceptable." Highlights everything that comes across on the pages of the selected editions. As a result, the scientist will receive two numbers reflecting the frequency with which such expressions are encountered in one and the other journal. Thus, he will be able to compare them with each other and draw a conclusion about the manifestation of homophobia in magazines.
