Speaker: CAI, Tianji received his PhD degree at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2010. His research interests concentrate on new forms of data and new methods of analysis. Reflecting on his broad intellectual pursuits, his research topics are diverse, ranging from methodological, such as quantitative methods and data mining, to substantive ones, such as gene-environmental interplay and adolescent health behaviors. He has published widely in leading international journals including American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, Demography, Sociological Methodology, Sociological Methods & Research, Chinese Sociological Review, etc.
Abstract: In recent years, technologies such as the internet and smartphones have made the sex markets flourish in cyberspace. In Macau, sexual services advertised via the internet have been booming since 2005.
Utilizing 19,608 posts & 49,008 pictures retrieved from a popular forum in Macau, the current project aims to provide a better understanding of the online sex market in Macau. In particular, by integrating text mining and image analysis on advertisement posts, the study shows strong periodicity of sex worker touring. For instance, based on three sources of information, such as nicknames, portraits, and phone numbers, the chance of recurrence for a sex worker is much higher with a period of seven, which is consistent with the visa policy for entering Macau.