The Multi-Layered and Transformative Impact of Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet of Behaviors on the Social Sciences

Year 2025, Volume: 5 Issue: 2, 117 - 124, 23.12.2025

Bekir Emiroğlu

Abstract

This study examines the multi-layered and transformative impact of big data, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Behaviors (IoB) on the social sciences. It argues that these technologies represent not merely new methodological tools, but a fundamental paradigm shift that challenges the field's core epistemological assumptions, ethical norms, and societal role. The analysis progresses through four key areas. First, it addresses the epistemological rupture, focusing on the "End of Theory" debate and the tension between correlation and causality in data-driven science. Second, it evaluates the methodological transformation, contrasting new research opportunities like predictive modeling and social simulation with significant risks, including algorithmic bias and the 'black-box' problem. Third, the study explores the profound ethical and political dimensions, such as surveillance, algorithmic authority, and power asymmetries. Finally, it analyzes the transition from the Internet of Things (IoT) to IoB, highlighting the shift from passive observation to active behavioral intervention, which poses significant threats to individual autonomy. The paper concludes that social scientists must adopt a critical role, moving beyond technical application to question the underlying power structures of these technologies and guide the development of a more just and democratic digital future.

Keywords

Algorithmic authority , artificial intelligence (AI) , big data , internet of behaviors (IoB) , paradigm shift , social sciences

Büyük Veri, Yapay Zeka ve Davranışların İnterneti'nin Sosyal Bilimlere Çok Katmanlı ve Dönüştürücü Etkisi

Abstract

Bu çalışma, büyük verinin, yapay zekanın (AI) ve Davranışların İnterneti'nin (IoB) sosyal bilimler üzerindeki çok katmanlı ve dönüştürücü etkisini incelemektedir. Bu teknolojilerin yalnızca yeni metodolojik araçları temsil etmediğini, aynı zamanda alanın temel epistemolojik varsayımlarına, etik normlarına ve toplumsal rolüne meydan okuyan temel bir paradigma değişimini temsil ettiğini ileri sürüyor. Analiz dört temel alanda ilerlemektedir. İlk olarak, "Teorinin Sonu" tartışmasına ve veriye dayalı bilimde korelasyon ile nedensellik arasındaki gerilime odaklanarak epistemolojik kopuşa değiniyor. İkinci olarak, tahmine dayalı modelleme ve sosyal simülasyon gibi yeni araştırma fırsatlarını algoritmik önyargı ve 'kara kutu' sorunu gibi önemli risklerle karşılaştırarak metodolojik dönüşümü değerlendirir. Üçüncüsü, çalışma gözetim, algoritmik otorite ve güç asimetrileri gibi derin etik ve politik boyutları araştırıyor. Son olarak, Nesnelerin İnterneti'nden (IoT) IoB'ye geçişi analiz ederek, pasif gözlemden bireysel özerkliğe önemli tehditler oluşturan aktif davranışsal müdahaleye geçişi vurguluyor. Makale, sosyal bilimcilerin, bu teknolojilerin altında yatan güç yapılarını sorgulamak ve daha adil ve demokratik bir dijital geleceğin gelişimine rehberlik etmek için teknik uygulamanın ötesine geçerek kritik bir rol üstlenmeleri gerektiği sonucuna varıyor.

Keywords

Algoritmik otorite , yapay zeka (AI) , büyük veri , davranışların interneti (IoB , davranışların interneti (IoB) , paradigma değişimi , sosyal bilimler

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