Navigating social media landscapes: From research question to data

About the Event

This practical hybrid seminar and workshop, co-hosted with the ARDC-supported Australian Internet Observatory, is designed for researchers, postgraduate students and project leads in the humanities, arts, and social sciences working with or planning social media studies.

Speakers will equip you with the know-how to turn research questions into robust, ethical social media datasets. You will get an overview of the current state of the “platformsphere,” which is increasingly fragmented, opaque and regulated.

Get an introduction to different data‑collection methods, the opportunities and limitations of working with social media data and the ethical and practical considerations you need to weigh when choosing an approach.

You will leave with:

• Practical criteria for choosing platforms that match your research aims (not convenience)
• An outline of data‑access routes (APIs, scraping and user‑centric donations)
• Technical and ethical advice for your projects.

Agenda

• 4.30pm – Platform-centric methods of data collection with Daniel Russo-Batterham and Kim Doyle, Melbourne Data Analytics Platform
• 5.15pm – User-centric methods of data collection with Bogdan Mamaev, Research Training Manager, Australian Internet Observatory
• 5.30pm – AI and Digital Ethics with Marc Cheong, Senior Lecturer in Information Systems (Digital Ethics) and Deputy Director, Centre for AI and Digital Ethics
• 5.45pm – Q&A with speakers on your data questions.

Note

When registering, please note if you will be attending in person or online.

The HASS Taskforce aims to empower and inspire researchers in the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences to embrace the potential of digital methodologies and create communities of practice and peer support.