In an era of high-volume, high-velocity digital data, social media has become a primary lens for understanding human behavior. However, moving data from "live feed" to "research archive" is complicated by technical, ethical, and legal hurdles. This panel discussion offers a roadmap for researchers looking to preserve social media data for long-term use while navigating the evolving landscape of platform policies and global regulations. Attendees will gain actionable insights into the lifecycle of social media data management, including: - Best practices for organizing and documenting social data- Guidance for protecting vulnerable populations, mitigating disclosure risks, and addressing the nuances of archiving "public" data that feels private- Strategies for sharing social media data within the context of evolving global legal frameworks and platforms' Terms of Service
Hemphill et al. (Thu,) studied this question.