This document provides guidance on conducting social media research, with an emphasis on Twitter. It discusses how social media can provide up-to-date information on trends and topics of interest. However, it also notes the prevalence of misinformation online and provides tools and strategies for evaluating the credibility of social media sources, such as performing lateral searches, checking for bot accounts, and consulting fact-checking websites. Readers are encouraged to thoughtfully analyze rather than impulsively accept information from social media.

1. Social Media Research
With a special emphasis on Twitter
and a focus on misinformation strategies to employ

2. Living on social media
When we live in the social
media landscape, we are
naturally going to engage
with information that has
been transported to us by
these platforms.
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3. We can (and should)
perform intentional
searches within these
platforms
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4. “
But, why would we?
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5. WHY SOCIAL MEDIA?
These CONSTANTLY updated feeds can:
• Provide the “current pulse” which is especially important while
researching information which changes rapidly
• Provide insight into trends that may interest you or help you
further understand
• Offer insight into exciting new work or findings from researchers
or organizations
• Offer information on new or proposed laws
• Provide newer/more updated statistics
• Alert you to new movements hosted by activists who care deeply
about your topic
• Widen understanding of how the topic impacts various areas
within our globe.
• Help you consider changes that are on the horizon

6. Addressing Concerns
Harnessing Twitter or other social media sources for
information can be incredibly powerful and add “flavor” to
your research.
At the high school level, you are expected to be able to weed
through the content which is serious/helpful to your research
and content which is pure entertainment or satire. You are
expected to display a level of maturity to be able to be able to
quickly pass over humorous content in favor of serious
content.
With that said, there is concern regarding misinformation on
any platform. Social media is the source to which most
people are gathering information so we will discuss
misinformation here. First, let’s talk about how to interact with
our favorite platform, Twitter.

7. Our beloved Twitter
You don’t need an account. Simply perform a
Google search with keywords “Twitter Search” to
search without an account.
Regularly follow your topic using one or more
hashtags. A tool like Hashtagify helps you to
monitor multiple hashtags at once.
Cite articles Twitter directs you toward as you
would any article, cite tweets or threads like this.
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ANALYZING & EVALUATING ARGUMENTS,
INTERPRETATIONS, BELIEFS, OR THEORIES
When we interact with social media stories, we quickly (and impulsively) make our selections
of what we will or will not read. We are taking in so much information that we are always
rushing.
The goal is to quickly, yet accurately, assess which articles will provide information that
directly supports and relates to your thesis statement, but, once you find it, we need you to
later digest the information more analytically.
We need you to develop a system that divides the process of retrieving useful information and
reading useful information. You must separate the quick article hunting and gathering from the
reading process in order to achieve close and focused reading.

9. Something to recognize
Journalists are under similar pressure to quickly provide the
latest information. This leaves less room for fact-checking as
was able to be performed in the past. There is also little to no
punishment for releasing misinformation.

10. MAKING PLAUSIBLE INFERENCES, PREDICTIONS, OR
INTERPRETATIONS
You have the opportunity to be a “fortune teller”
How will this information change local society?
How will this information change other locations within the
world?
Will daily life change and, if so, for whom?
Will statistics change, as a result?
Will the legal system be changed, as a result?
While you don’t need to be right, you should make reasonable
assumptions and inferences based upon facts or trends.

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Graphic Organizer
We have a graphic organizer designed to help
you extract information from articles found from
an intentional social media search. You are free
to use any part of it which helps you (unless your
instructor requires full completion of the
organizer)
This screencast walks you through completion of
the graphic organizer

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DEVELOPING INTELLECTUAL PERSEVERANCE
What if you are settled into your research process and you find new information?
You can choose to incorporate or ignore it.
New information does not need to derail you. The more organized your system of
note-taking, the easier it will be to incorporate new information along the way and
adjust your writing.
Just be sure that it is relevant to your thesis statement or outline. If it is not (and
you still want to use it), remember that you will have to adjust your thesis
statement and outline if you are adding a new concept to your paper.

13. WHAT ABOUT MISINFORMATION?
Great question!
Misinformation is a large and growing concern. There is plausible
concern that there is an “information war” taking place which is a
potential danger to people’s knowledge-base and belief systems.
There are different purposes for the spread of misinformation with
some innocent and some intentional,malicious, active, campaigns.
Did you know that even the blue check marks do not accurately
verify an account since they are duplicated often? Just because a
story might “trend” it does not make it reliable.

14. The question is, “Are you smart
enough to notice it?”
The answer is, “sort of” because even
experts are fooled by misinformation
sometimes.
You can employ a combination of
tools to assist you and take yourself
through an intentional systematic
thought-process to help determine
whether content is factual or not.
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IDENTIFICATION

15. TOOLS
∙ conduct a “linear search” or “read laterally. This is the process of searching outside of the source on the regular web
for the same information. Look for whether multiple sources published the same information. Look for whether the
URL domain is the same as within your article or whether it is slightly manipulated. Did they manipulate or amplify the
content found from other sources? Did they place it into false context? Is there an “about us” page, an author, a
publication date? If you search more more information on the author, is it readily available through a simple Google
search?
∙ Botometer this tool looks for bots and automated accounts on Twitter
∙ Reverse image search Compare if the image is the same as the original (it may be hard to find the original to
compare if the content was shared too widely)
∙ Watchdog and fact-checking sites (Factcheck.org, Snopes, etc.) - there are studies that indicate that even these may
be politically driven at times.
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SYSTEMATIC THOUGHT PROCESS
∙ Consider your emotional response If it is high, take a few minutes to consider whether you may be prey to
misinformation
∙ Consider whether it is hyper-partisan If it is extreme in its political spectrum, take a few moments and
consider whether you want something with this level of bias. If so, how will you balance it?
While it is not 100% guaranteed that you will identify misinformation, a heavy combination of
these techniques will help you.

17. What if you accidentally include misinformation within your research writing?
At the high school level, it depends…
is your teacher focused on your ability to synthesize information within the research process?
If so, their focus is not so much “content heavy”
if you are in an AP course, the stakes are higher.
The stakes are also higher as you progress in your educational career (post-secondary setting etc.)
Link here for more information on misinformation
Remember: scholarly journal articles can be more reliable since higher level researchers
apply data collection methods to their research and go through a peer review process.
This is why most college professors require that these are the sole source type their
students use. We do, however, urge you to also consult social media for the reasons
expressed in slide 5.
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Thanks!
Any questions?
You can find me at:
khornberger@palisadessd.org

19. Credits
Special thanks to all the people who made and released these awesome
resources for free:
∙ Presentation template by SlidesCarnival
∙ Photographs by Unsplash
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20. Presentation design
This presentation uses the following typographies:
∙ Titles: Playfair Display
∙ Body copy: Raleway light
You can download the fonts on these pages:
https://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/playfair-display
https://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/raleway
Additional Photo Credits
Crider, Anthony. "Crutches." Flickr. Yahoo, 18
Jan. 2010..
Hornberger, John, “Firework Trees.” 4 July
2019.
Howie, Jason. "Instagram and other Social
Media Apps." Flickr. Yahoo, 1 Sept. 2012.
Marco, Peggy. Tablet Man. Pixabay. Pixabay,
11 Nov. 2011.
Uglowp. "Planner." Pixabay. Pixabay, 7 Mar.
2014.
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