The workshop will take place on August 08, 2025, on Zoom and Youtube Livestreaming
About The Data Science Summer School
The Data Science Summer School is a series of free and open-source theoretical and practical workshops on the exciting methods and technologies currently employed by industry, government, and civil society to address the world's most complex problems today. It is organized by the Hertie School Data Science Lab with funding and support from the Hertie School and the Dieter Schwarz Foundation
Workshop Details
How does digital media influence attitudes, behaviors, and political outcomes—and how can we study it rigorously? This workshop introduces the fundamentals of experimental design in the context of digital media research. Participants will learn how to formulate research questions, develop testable hypotheses, and design experiments suited to platforms like YouTube, Twitter/X, TikTok, or online surveys. Through real-world case studies and hands-on exercises, the course covers key concepts such as randomization, treatment assignment, measurement, and causal inference. Whether you're interested in online misinformation, algorithmic influence, or digital campaign effects, this workshop provides practical tools for designing and analyzing experiments in today's media landscape.
No prior experience with experiments is required. Basic knowledge of social science or data analysis is helpful but not necessary.
Content Licensing
All workshop materials and recording are under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 license. You are free to share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, and adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material. However, you must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. You may not use the material for commercial purposes. If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.
Workshop Materials
To be updated
Instructor
Dr. Kevin Munger
Dr. Kevin Munger is Assistant Professor and Chair of Computational Social Science at the European University Institute in Florence. He employs cutting-edge computational and experimental methods to explore how social media and the internet shape political information and communication. His work has appeared in top-tier journals such as Nature, American Journal of Political Science, and Journal of Communication, and he is the author of two books: Generation Gap: Why the Baby Boomers Still Dominate American Politics and Culture and The YouTube Apparatus (Cambridge University Press). In 2021, he co-founded and serves as co-editor of the Journal of Quantitative Description: Digital Media. His current research spans topics like TikTok, Twitch, and the philosophy of social science, bringing a deep analytical lens to digital-era democracy.
Schedule (Central European Summer Time - CEST)
Session Starts
Experimental Design for Digital Media Research (Part I)
Short Break
Session Continues
Experimental Design for Digital Media Research (Part II)