Ethics, social media research, and users views
Summary
TLDRThe speaker delves into the complex ethical landscape of social media research, highlighting the spectrum of views on data usage. They emphasize the evolving nature of social media platforms and the resulting unique challenges to traditional ethical frameworks. Key issues discussed include consent, data privacy, the public-private space debate, and the evolving understanding of data ownership. The talk stresses the importance of context-specific ethical considerations and the need for ongoing dialogue within the research community.
Takeaways
- 🤖 The ethics of social media research is a complex and evolving field with no single right answer, and opinions vary widely among researchers.
- 🔍 There is a spectrum of views on the ethics of using social media data, ranging from those who see it as a public resource to those who prioritize user consent and anonymity.
- 📊 The New Social Media, New Social Science Network, led by the speaker, aims to address the lack of guidance on ethical issues in social media research.
- 📝 Surveys of the Network's members revealed that only about a third felt current guidelines were adequate for the ethical challenges posed by social media research.
- 🔑 The characteristics of social media platforms create unique ethical challenges that traditional research ethics frameworks do not fully address.
- 🏛 The debate over whether social media platforms are public or private spaces has legal implications and affects how data can be ethically collected and used.
- 👥 The diversity of social media platforms and the evolving nature of their features and terms of service complicate the establishment of consistent ethical guidelines.
- 🔒 Ethical considerations include data security, confidentiality, and the challenges of anonymizing inherently personal social media data.
- 📜 The 'right to be forgotten' raises questions about how to handle data when users delete their posts and whether this constitutes a withdrawal of consent.
- 📝 Informed consent is a central issue in social media research, with questions about the adequacy of terms and conditions as a form of consent.
- 🏷 The ownership of social media data is complex, involving not just the platforms but also third-party companies that sell the data.
Q & A
What is the main topic of the speaker's discussion?
-The main topic is the ethics of social media research, highlighting the complexities and the spectrum of views on how social media data can be used ethically.
What are the two extreme views on the use of social media data for research mentioned in the script?
-One extreme view is that social media data is publicly available and can be used freely, often held by those with computer programming and big data analytics backgrounds. The other extreme is that of social science and social research backgrounds, who emphasize the need for consent and anonymity, and are more cautious about using social media data.
What does the speaker suggest as the best approach to ethical social media research?
-The speaker suggests that the best approach is to consider the specific context of each research project, including the nature of the data, the particular issues related to it, and to think reflexively to maximize the potential insight of the research.
What is the 'New Social Media, New Social Science Network' that the speaker leads?
-It is a network originally funded by NCRM, focused on methodological development for social media research. It has a Twitter handle, a hashtag, a blog, and organizes various events throughout the year to engage with the community interested in social media research.
Why did the network start looking into ethics?
-The network started looking into ethics because of the frequent concerns raised about the lack of guidance on how to deal with the specific ethical issues raised by social media research, as identified through their member surveys and discussions.
What is the key debate regarding whether social media platforms are considered public or private spaces?
-The key debate is about the legal implications and ethical considerations of data collection. It revolves around whether the Data Protection Act applies to the data being collected and whether it is publicly available or not, which affects consent and privacy issues.
What is the 'right to be forgotten' in the context of social media research?
-The 'right to be forgotten' refers to the situation where a user deletes their post and whether this should be treated as a removal of consent for the data's use in research. It raises questions about data retention and the ability to reflect such changes in research datasets.
How does the speaker address the issue of informed consent in social media research?
-The speaker discusses the challenges of obtaining informed consent in social media research, questioning the adequacy of terms and conditions as a form of consent and the feasibility of obtaining consent when dealing with large datasets like tweets.
What are some of the ethical issues related to data security and confidentiality in social media research?
-Ethical issues include protecting data securely and confidentially, dealing with the inherent personal nature of social media data that can be re-identified even when anonymized, and managing data sharing agreements, especially when involving third parties like Mechanical Turk workers.
What is the significance of the evolving nature of social media platforms in terms of research ethics?
-The evolving nature of social media platforms, with new sites, applications, features, and terms and conditions, constantly changes the context and methodologies for social media research, requiring ongoing adaptation and re-evaluation of ethical approaches.
What resources does the speaker recommend for further understanding of social media research ethics?
-The speaker recommends industry guidelines, the University of Aberdeen framework, the Lancaster University Ethics forum, the 'Since Rapport: Social Media Research Views' report, 'The Wisdom of the Crowd' report, and the upcoming book on online research ethics, as well as the 'Handbook of Social Media Research'.
Outlines
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