Using APIs for data collection on social media

Stine Lomborg; Anja Bechmann

doi:10.1080/01972243.2014.915276

Using APIs for data collection on social media

Stine Lomborg, Anja Bechmann

Institut for Kommunikation

104 Citationer (Scopus)

2898 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

This article discusses how social media research may benefit from social media companies making data available to researchers through their application programming interfaces (APIs). An API is a back-end interface through which third-party developers may connect new add-ons to an existing service. The API is also an interface for researchers to collect data off a given social media service for empirical analysis. Presenting a critical methodological discussion of the opportunities and challenges associated with quantitative and qualitative social media research based on APIs, this article highlights a number of general methodological issues to be dealt with when collecting and assessing data through APIs. The article further discusses the legal and ethical implications of empirical research using APIs for data collection.

Originalsprog	Engelsk
Tidsskrift	The Information Society
Vol/bind	30
Udgave nummer	4
Sider (fra-til)	256-265
Antal sider	10
ISSN	1087-6537
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1080/01972243.2014.915276
Status	Udgivet - aug. 2014

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10.1080/01972243.2014.915276

Lomborg & Bechmann 2014 Using APIs for data collection on social media_post-print versionIndsendt manuskript, 260 KB

Citationsformater

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Using APIs for data collection on social media

Abstract

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