Datorassisterad metadataanalys som urvalsmetod i religionsvetenskapliga studier av videomaterial online

Abstract

The presents article provides an exemplification of how to apply a computer-Assisted method to analyze metadata in order to detect patterns and make informed, purposive selections in scholarly analysis of large sets of YouTube vid-eos. The case chosen is that of YouTube channels which previous research has identified as being part of contemporary Salafi activism in Sweden. Using a recent survey of such activism (Ranstorp et al. 2018) as both a starting point and a contrast, the article ap-plies computer-Assisted methods of analysis on metadata for 6905 videos published on 13 Swedish YouTube channels, and shows how the application of such methods can be a useful first step in scholarly inquiry into a material that is at the same time rich in information relevant to the Study of Religions, and, due to its size, difficult to assess in full.