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The concept that went viral: Using machine learning to discover charisma in the wild
1Department of Sociology, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
The British Journal of Sociology
|September 14, 2024
Summary
Sociologists often dismiss popular uses of "charisma," but this study analyzes its vernacular meanings. Machine learning reveals how social science uses of charisma bridge academic and popular discourse, challenging traditional views.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Linguistics
- Computational Social Science
Background:
- The term "charisma" is a key sociological concept that has entered common parlance.
- Popular interpretations of charisma often diverge from its original sociological definitions.
- Understanding the vernacularity of "charisma" is crucial for conceptual development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the discursive field of "charisma" across academic and social media contexts.
- To identify distinct spectra differentiating sociological and non-sociological uses of "charisma."
- To examine how social scientific uses of "charisma" relate to its popular meanings.
Main Methods:
- Utilized machine learning to analyze four corpora: Weber's writings, JSTOR articles, "X" posts with "charisma," and "X" posts with "rizz."
- Identified meaning structures and three spectra to distinguish different uses of "charisma."
- Compared social scientific usage against Weberian formulations and popular discourse.
Main Results:
- Social scientific uses of "charisma" occupy an intermediate position between distinct sociological and popular spectra.
- Found three differentiating spectra: structural vs. individual efficacy, analytical vs. desirable/moral, and relational vs. individualized ontologies.
- Demonstrated that scholars engage with and contribute to the popularization of "charisma."
Conclusions:
- Social scientific discourse on "charisma" is not strictly aligned with Weberian theory and is influenced by popular usage.
- Scholars inadvertently participate in the "vulgarization" of "charisma" they criticize.
- Proposed recommendations for constructively engaging with popular charisma in academic contexts.
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