Social Media as a Data Source
BY KATIE LAHTI – INSIGHT STRATEGIST
The statistics roll off marketers’ lips freely, as if they were numb to the reality that once upon a time these stats would have been shocking (three long years ago). Like this one: If Facebook were a country, it’d be the most populated country on earth, surpassing the population of China by over 200 million people. Or: the Facebook “like” button is clicked 3 million times per minute (according to this stat-packed video by LinkHumans). Last one: 70% of Twitter users expect to hear back from a brand they interact with, and 53% of them expect that response within an hour (Search Engine Watch, 2014). The cultural impact of social media is inarguable if only because of the size of membership, depth of activity, and impact on consumer brand communication. It’s no wonder artists, advertisers, and so many others are intrigued by the influence of this channel on life as we know it.
What can we learn about people—individually and collectively—from social media? How can social media be a source of information or a research tool? How can social media help us get smarter about individual consumers—about society—both today and in the future?
This line of questioning sheds some light on what I have learned to be three intriguing opportunities for social media as a data source. (Note. They aren’t answers. The world is changing and the story still unfolding!)
1. SOCIAL MEDIA PROVIDES A RICH SNAPSHOT OF A REAL PERSON (OR THE OCCASIONAL CAT)
Social profile data has value as an accurate, self-reported, and easy-to-find source of basic demographics and personal associations. Add networks, interests, socio-economic status, personal values, and engagement tendencies, and things really start to get interesting. According to Michael Fertik in an article in Forbes, “This isn’t the survey data of yore—this is rich, helpful information that requires aggregation and analysis. But it creates a complex picture that suggests just how to connect with customers based on what they themselves identify as important to them.” (Forbes, June 2015) It’s rich and trustworthy as a self-reported and self-managed source, and because of this, it can help us tease out intimate customer understanding from a complex web of data points.
2. SOCIAL MEDIA GIVES RESEARCHERS A SCALABLE WAY TO EXAMINE CONVERSATION AND THE MEANING BEHIND IT
Studying conversations can tell us about individuals, target audiences, and interest groups by analyzing the details of what people say. Because we can look at more conversations more broadly, we have a wealth of information to recognize patterns and draw conclusions. Through methods such as sentiment analysis and personality analysis, we can read between the lines of conversation to understand who people are, allowing us to get one step closer to the “why” behind the “what” at a large scale.
3. WE CAN ANALYZE HUMAN CONNECTION AND INFLUENCE IN A WAY WE COULDN’T BEFORE
We live in a connected world and social media puts our interactions into an observable and measurable place. One technique to help understand these interactions is social network analysis. Research from the Pew Research Center explains just how network maps on social media can be a source of new human insights: “These maps highlight the people and topics that drive conversations and group behavior—insights that add to what can be learned from surveys or focus groups or even sentiment analysis of tweets. Maps of previously hidden landscapes of social media highlight the key people, groups, and topics being discussed.” (Pew Research Center, February 2014) In this same study, we see how we can categorize networks by connectedness, size, subjects discussed, and interactions.
Unlike many forms of research, social network analysis is not isolated to a moment in time, a place in the world, or a person’s state of mind. It is not limited to modeling demonstrated behavior of a single individual, but instead provides a snapshot of how individuals influence each other. Network analysis helps us understand—and visualize—influence. Cool, right?
There it is: interesting thought starters for the curious researchers and analysts on a perpetual quest for “why.” Brands, agencies, and consultancies are using social media today to develop real insights, profile real audiences, and analyze real human connection and influence. It’s not the full story, but it sure can help bring color to the illustrations.
Interested in a closer look at how? Check these out:
Social Media as a Data Source
BY KATIE LAHTI – INSIGHT STRATEGIST
The statistics roll off marketers’ lips freely, as if they were numb to the reality that once upon a time these stats would have been shocking (three long years ago). Like this one: If Facebook were a country, it’d be the most populated country on earth, surpassing the population of China by over 200 million people. Or: the Facebook “like” button is clicked 3 million times per minute (according to this stat-packed video by LinkHumans). Last one: 70% of Twitter users expect to hear back from a brand they interact with, and 53% of them expect that response within an hour (Search Engine Watch, 2014). The cultural impact of social media is inarguable if only because of the size of membership, depth of activity, and impact on consumer brand communication. It’s no wonder artists, advertisers, and so many others are intrigued by the influence of this channel on life as we know it.
What can we learn about people—individually and collectively—from social media? How can social media be a source of information or a research tool? How can social media help us get smarter about individual consumers—about society—both today and in the future?
This line of questioning sheds some light on what I have learned to be three intriguing opportunities for social media as a data source. (Note. They aren’t answers. The world is changing and the story still unfolding!)
1. SOCIAL MEDIA PROVIDES A RICH SNAPSHOT OF A REAL PERSON (OR THE OCCASIONAL CAT)
Social profile data has value as an accurate, self-reported, and easy-to-find source of basic demographics and personal associations. Add networks, interests, socio-economic status, personal values, and engagement tendencies, and things really start to get interesting. According to Michael Fertik in an article in Forbes, “This isn’t the survey data of yore—this is rich, helpful information that requires aggregation and analysis. But it creates a complex picture that suggests just how to connect with customers based on what they themselves identify as important to them.” (Forbes, June 2015) It’s rich and trustworthy as a self-reported and self-managed source, and because of this, it can help us tease out intimate customer understanding from a complex web of data points.
2. SOCIAL MEDIA GIVES RESEARCHERS A SCALABLE WAY TO EXAMINE CONVERSATION AND THE MEANING BEHIND IT
Studying conversations can tell us about individuals, target audiences, and interest groups by analyzing the details of what people say. Because we can look at more conversations more broadly, we have a wealth of information to recognize patterns and draw conclusions. Through methods such as sentiment analysis and personality analysis, we can read between the lines of conversation to understand who people are, allowing us to get one step closer to the “why” behind the “what” at a large scale.
3. WE CAN ANALYZE HUMAN CONNECTION AND INFLUENCE IN A WAY WE COULDN’T BEFORE
We live in a connected world and social media puts our interactions into an observable and measurable place. One technique to help understand these interactions is social network analysis. Research from the Pew Research Center explains just how network maps on social media can be a source of new human insights: “These maps highlight the people and topics that drive conversations and group behavior—insights that add to what can be learned from surveys or focus groups or even sentiment analysis of tweets. Maps of previously hidden landscapes of social media highlight the key people, groups, and topics being discussed.” (Pew Research Center, February 2014) In this same study, we see how we can categorize networks by connectedness, size, subjects discussed, and interactions.
Unlike many forms of research, social network analysis is not isolated to a moment in time, a place in the world, or a person’s state of mind. It is not limited to modeling demonstrated behavior of a single individual, but instead provides a snapshot of how individuals influence each other. Network analysis helps us understand—and visualize—influence. Cool, right?
There it is: interesting thought starters for the curious researchers and analysts on a perpetual quest for “why.” Brands, agencies, and consultancies are using social media today to develop real insights, profile real audiences, and analyze real human connection and influence. It’s not the full story, but it sure can help bring color to the illustrations.
Interested in a closer look at how? Check these out:
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