Golder S, Ahmed S, Norman G, Booth A. (2017). Attitudes towards the ethics of research using social media: A systematic review. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 19(6): e195. doi: 10.2196/jmir.7082
Researchers reviewed 17 studies using any qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods methodology that included qualitative data on attitudes towards research using social media. Researchers then developed a framework based on themes that emerged from the results of selected studies that were divided based on their focus on researchers, social media users, consent, or responsibilities of social media platforms. Themes that emerged for researchers were the perceived benefits of the research, who the researcher was (e.g. their professional affiliations), the validity of their research methods, and the risks to researchers. Themes that focused on social media users included risks to the users, vulnerable groups, intent when making a post, and privacy and self-regulation. Consent-focused themes included the collection of informed consent and researcher disclosure. Themes concerning the responsibilities of social media platforms were issues surrounding terms of service, site administrators, legal issues, and the type of social media platform being used. Reactions to using social media were mixed and often varied by who was included in the sample, the kind of data being used, and the social media platform being studied. In particular, issues of privacy and consent for use of social media data drew varied responses and debate over whether posts to social media should be considered private or public. Research using aggregated quantitative data from large numbers of users was more acceptable than research using qualitative data that examined or quoted specific users and posts.