The development of social science research methods influenced by social media

Abstract

The introduction of social media during the past 15 years has introduced new ways to produce mass self-report data, while creating opportunities and challenges for social researchers. The first part of this literature review provides an overview of social media and presents contrasting views regarding what the focus of research in this area should be. Some researchers claim that the focus of such research should be on creating new methods in a world of knowing capitalism. Others believe that the focus should be on how the research process is distributed among various agents. The second part of this review focuses on how big data and social media analysis contribute to research methodology. The final part of this review explains the various challenges introduced by big data. Digital observatories, such as COSMOS, seem to deal with some of these challenges, such as volume, velocity and variety. Criticism of big data focuses mainly on ethical issues, such as privacy concerns. When using big data for social research, it is important to have a clear picture of its possibilities and limitations. The development of social media and the availability of data will be important in the future of digital social research.