B0768
Title: Social media in survey research
Authors: Camilla Salvatore - Utrecht University (Netherlands) [presenting]
Annamaria Bianchi - University of Bergamo (Italy)
Silvia Biffignandi - University of Bergamo (Italy)
Abstract: Probability sample surveys have been considered the gold standard for inference for many years, but they are facing difficulties related mainly to declining response rates and increasing costs. At the same time, an acceleration of technological advances has occurred, with the use of mobile phones and online social networks, specifically social media (SM), leading to the availability of vast amounts of new data. This is coupled with the development of new tools by computational social scientists to collect, process, and analyze digital trace data. The use of social media to produce innovative statistics has been explored over time, but some concerns remain. This article reviews the roles of social media in survey research (as a substitute, as a supplement, and to improve survey estimates), discusses the methodological approaches and provides recommendations and insights on future directions for their use.
