Quantitative analysis of culture using millions of digitized books

Jean Baptiste Michel; Yuan Kui Shen; Aviva Presser Aiden; Adrian Veres; Matthew K. Gray; Joseph P. Pickett; Dale Hoiberg; Dan Clancy; Peter Norvig; Jon Orwant; Steven Pinker; Martin A. Nowak; Erez Lieberman Aiden

doi:10.1126/science.1199644

Quantitative analysis of culture using millions of digitized books

Jean Baptiste Michel, Yuan Kui Shen, Aviva Presser Aiden, Adrian Veres, Matthew K. Gray, Joseph P. Pickett, Dale Hoiberg, Dan Clancy, Peter Norvig, Jon Orwant, Steven Pinker, Martin A. Nowak, Erez Lieberman Aiden

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2038 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We constructed a corpus of digitized texts containing about 4% of all books ever printed. Analysis of this corpus enables us to investigate cultural trends quantitatively. We survey the vast terrain of 'culturomics,' focusing on linguistic and cultural phenomena that were reflected in the English language between 1800 and 2000. We show how this approach can provide insights about fields as diverse as lexicography, the evolution of grammar, collective memory, the adoption of technology, the pursuit of fame, censorship, and historical epidemiology. Culturomics extends the boundaries of rigorous quantitative inquiry to a wide array of new phenomena spanning the social sciences and the humanities.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	176-182
Number of pages	7
Journal	Science
Volume	331
Issue number	6014
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1199644
Publication status	Published - 14 Jan 2011
Externally published	Yes

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AU - Hoiberg, Dale

AU - Clancy, Dan

AU - Norvig, Peter

AU - Orwant, Jon

AU - Pinker, Steven

AU - Nowak, Martin A.

AU - Aiden, Erez Lieberman

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Quantitative analysis of culture using millions of digitized books

Abstract

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