Year-end Sale % OFF 
Abstract
In this paper, we outline an online survey-based study seeking to understand academic attitudes towards social media research ethics (SMRE). As the exploratory phase of a wider research project, findings are discussed in relation to the responses of 30 participants, spanning multiple faculties and locations at one international university. The paper presents an empirical measure of attitudes towards social media research ethics, reflecting core issues outlined throughout the nascent Internet-mediated research (IMR) literature, in addition to survey questions relating to familiarity with SMRE guidance, and experience of reviewing SMRE proposals from students and/or as part of the university's research ethics committees (RECs). Findings indicate notable variance in academic attitudes towards the ethical challenges of social media research, reflecting the complexity of decision-making within this context and further emphasising the need to understand influencing factors. Future directions are discussed in relation to the tentative findings presented by the current study.
Highlights
With social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter continuing to attract hundreds of millions of monthly active users [1, 2], the vast amount of personal data produced through these services provide academic researchers with unprecedented opportunity for investigating human behaviour online [3]
The current paper has outlined the findings of an initial, exploratory phase of a wider research project investigating academic attitudes towards social media research ethics (SMRE)
Though the limited number (n = 30) of respondents and single institutional source from which participants were sampled significantly restrict the generalisability of the findings, the study provides the foundations for a crucial albeit tentative - discussion of the empirical study of social media research ethics
Summary
With social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter continuing to attract hundreds of millions of monthly active users [1, 2], the vast amount of personal data produced through these services provide academic researchers with unprecedented opportunity for investigating human behaviour online [3]. Through a combination of these two broad methodological approaches, a marked increase has been observed in the number of social media research studies published within the social sciences in recent years, rising from a solitary paper produced in 2005 to a cumulative total of 412 by 2011 upon Facebook [19], and from 3 research papers in 2007 to 527 as of 2011 for Twitter [20]. Comparatively little is known about researcher attitudes towards these issues, and how they may translate into experiences of reviewing research ethics proposals submitted by students and fellow academics
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
