What Can Social Media Data Add to the Knowledge of Arts and Humanities? An Empirical Investigation on Twitter at Teatro Alla Scala

Abstract

Social media, considered as a representative example of big data with their high volumes, high velocity and high variety features, are continuously receiving attention in the arts and humanities literature. While studies on the potentialities of social media to enhance audience engagement, informal learning or marketing activities in arts and cultural organisations are growing, there is limited evidence on the opportunities provided by data extracted from social media to enhance knowledge management in the arts and humanities. Acknowledging this gap, this chapter aims at understanding if and how social media data can contribute to generating new knowledge in the arts and humanities with a specific investigation on Twitter at Teatro Alla Scala. The results of the analysis are twofold. First, this study proposes a methodology to approach social media, by detailing the phases for data understanding and extraction, and the methodological approach to enhance data reliability. Second, this study identifies a set of key performance indicators that can be computed starting from social media data; the proposed indicators are finalised to develop a better knowledge of the network of social media users connected with the investigated organisation.