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Webmunk: A New Tool for Studying Online Behavior and Digital Platforms

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Listed:
  • Chiara Farronato
  • Andrey Fradkin
  • Chris Karr

Abstract

Understanding the behavior of users online is important for researchers, policymakers, and private companies alike. But observing online behavior and conducting experiments is difficult without direct access to the user base and software of technology companies. We introduce Webmunk, an open-source tool designed to make conducting online studies much easier. The user-facing side of Webmunk is a browser extension that can track consumer browsing behavior and experimentally modify consumers experiences as they browse the Internet. It can be installed just like any other browser extension, such as ad blockers. Through this extension, researchers can collect a host of consumer data, from URLs to web page HTML elements, clicks, and scroll positions. The extension can also modify information and change the look of a web page, allowing for researchers to implement interventions that vary across study participants. A key advantage of this approach is that interventions occur while participants are engaging in real world activities such as shopping, browsing the news, using social media, or searching for information. We demonstrate the power of Webmunk by discussing two studies in progress.

Suggested Citation

  • Chiara Farronato & Andrey Fradkin & Chris Karr, 2024. "Webmunk: A New Tool for Studying Online Behavior and Digital Platforms," NBER Working Papers 32694, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:32694
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    Cited by:

    1. Guy Aridor & Rafael Jiménez-Durán & Ro'ee Levy & Lena Song, 2024. "Experiments on Social Media," CESifo Working Paper Series 11275, CESifo.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • K2 - Law and Economics - - Regulation and Business Law
    • L4 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies
    • M0 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - General

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