Current and Future Debates in Video Data Analysis

Video-based social science research is thriving. Across disciplines and topic areas, researchers use twenty-first century video data to gain novel insights into how social processes and events unfold on the ground. In recent years, “video data analysis” (VDA) has emerged as a methodological framework to facilitate this type of video-based research. The special issue “The Present and Future of Video-based Social Science Research: Innovations in Video Data Analysis” presents methodological innovations that speak to some of the most pressing debates around VDA. Contributions showcase the range of disciplines and research fields VDA is used in, from social interactions and collective behavior to neighborhoods, policing, and public health. This introductory article outlines two areas of growth in VDA methodology that the articles of this special issue speak to: taking advantage of scale and detail in VDA, and situating VDA in the canon of research methods.