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Encountering #Feminism on Twitter: Reflections on a Research Collaboration between Social Scientists and Computer Scientists

Author

Listed:
  • Steve Kirkwood

    (University of Edinburgh, UK)

  • Viviene Cree

    (University of Edinburgh, UK)

  • Daniel Winterstein

    (SoDash, UK)

  • Alex Nuttgens

    (SoDash, UK)

  • Jenni Sneddon

    (SoDash, UK)

Abstract

The growth of social media presents an unparalleled opportunity for the study of social change. However, the speed and scale of this growth presents challenges for social scientists, particularly those whose methodologies tend to rely on the qualitative analysis of data that are gathered firsthand. Alongside the growth of social media, companies have emerged which have developed tools for interrogating ‘big data’, although often unconnected from social scientists. It is self-evident that collaboration between social scientists and social media analysis companies offers the potential for developing methods for analysing social change on large scales, bringing together their respective expertise in technological innovations and knowledge of social science. What is less well known is how such a partnership might work in practice. This article presents an example of such a collaboration, highlighting the opportunities and challenges that arose in the context of an exploration of feminism on Twitter. As will be shown, machine-learning technologies allow the analysis of data on a scale that would be impossible for human analysts, yet such approaches also heighten challenges regarding the study of social change and communication.

Suggested Citation

  • Steve Kirkwood & Viviene Cree & Daniel Winterstein & Alex Nuttgens & Jenni Sneddon, 2018. "Encountering #Feminism on Twitter: Reflections on a Research Collaboration between Social Scientists and Computer Scientists," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 23(4), pages 763-779, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:socres:v:23:y:2018:i:4:p:763-779
    DOI: 10.1177/1360780418781615
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Luke Sloan & Jeffrey Morgan & William Housley & Matthew Williams & Adam Edwards & Pete Burnap & Omer Rana, 2013. "Knowing the Tweeters: Deriving Sociologically Relevant Demographics from Twitter," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 18(3), pages 74-84, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Natalie-Anne Hall, 2022. "Understanding Brexit on Facebook: Developing Close-up, Qualitative Methodologies for Social Media Research," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 27(3), pages 707-723, September.

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