 This list of features, though not exhaustive, highlights how big data is not simply “a lot of data”. The epistemic power of big data lies in their capacity to bridge between different research communities, methodological approaches and theoretical frameworks that are difficult to link due to conceptual fragmentation, social barriers and technical difficulties (Leonelli 2019a). And indeed, appeals to big data often emerge from situations of inquiry that are at once technically, conceptually and socially challenging, and where existing methods and resources have proved insufficient or inadequate (Sterner &amp; Franz 2017; Sterner, Franz, &amp; Witteveen 2020).