The document discusses the challenges of using Twitter data for social research, highlighting that Twitter does not represent the general population and questions its effectiveness as a proxy for social behavior. It critiques the monetization of Twitter's data through its API and the costs associated with obtaining representative samples for research. Additionally, it raises concerns about the implications of the evolving nature of social media data and the need for researchers to navigate systemic forces affecting their work.

1. Are Twitter researchers going to
hell?
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2. Will I go to hell ?
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4. 29-05-2015 · 4
}Lust: In the second circle
of Hell are those overcome
by lust. Dante condemns
these "carnal malefactors"
for letting their appetites
sway their reason.

5. 29-05-2015 · 5

6. - Social media users are not a representative
sample…
- Facebook: 53% (of US population)
- LinkedIn: 19%
- Twitter: 13%
(PEW data 2013 – Hargittai 2015)
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}Is Twitter a good proxy
of social life?
U
S
T
w
i
t
t
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r

7. This is where it goes…
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Temporal Patterns of Happiness and
Information in a Global Social Network:
Hedonometrics and Twitter
http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0026752

8. - Twitter users are largely
unknown
- There are no reasons to
expect any “trickle down
effect” from Twitter to
society
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}Is Twitter a good proxy
of social life?

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}Heresy: In the sixth circle,
Heretics, such as Epicureans
("the soul dies with the
body") are trapped in flaming
tombs.

10. - Research questions are
defined by the possibilities
offered through the API
- Data monetization has been
a clear strategy behind the
evolution of Twitter API
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}Dealing with
privately-own data
1)

11. - API (stream/rest) based acquisition do not provide
representative samples for big events (Morstatter et al. 2013)
- Using Twitter data providers can be extremely expensive
(for average research budget in social sciences /
humanities)
[e.g. Rule Text: eurovision
Start Date: 05/18/2015
End Date: 05/25/2015
Estimated Activities: 2,042,000
The total cost of accepting this job is $580.00. ]
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}Dealing with
privately-own data
2)

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}
Fraud: Sorcerers,
astrologers, and false
prophets here have their
heads twisted around on
their bodies backward, so
that they "found it necessary
to walk backward, / because
they could not see ahead of
them.”.

13. Hard methods for “soft” data
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14. Quantitative methods often
assume the stability of the
research field.
Can we still cite/use Twitter
data published in 2007 or 2008
?
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15. “Connect with your friends — and
other fascinating people. Get in-the-
moment updates on the things that
interest you. And watch events
unfold, in real time, from every
angle.”
Practices –> structure
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“What’s happening?”“What are you doing?”

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17. Are we doing the research we want to do
or the research we can do ? And what
are the – systemic – forces affectingt this
process?
One more thing
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Thank you