Social Media
Facebook, Twitter, Grindr, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other similar online spaces
The data of nearly 90 million Facebook users were compromised when an academic researcher gave Cambridge Analytica access to data he obtained from Facebook
In 2016, Danish researchers published data from 70 000 OkCupid users, revealing private information including age, gender, and sexual preferences.
Recruitment to research is an ongoing challenge. Some researchers have found, up to 60% of all clinical trials are delayed or cancelled due to lack of enrollment, slowing the progress of socially valuable research and at times resulting in research participants being exposed to risks, burdens, and inconvenience for no benefit (Wertheimer 2013).
Further, researchers face particular problems with specific hard-to-reach populations, such as patients with rare medical conditions, or women at particular stages of pregnancy, among others. Additionally, traditional methods, such as use of print, radio, and television advertising, can be costly and often do not remedy low participation rates.
Problem with Social Media
Problem with Social Media
Twitter’s privacy policy states that tweets may be used for research purposes; however, privacy policies are not written in a way that guarantees they will be read or understood. Researchers recently found that privacy policies for mobile apps were on average 3500 words and written just over the 12th-grade level (the average reading level for adults is grade 7-8).
This is particularly challenging with platforms in which privacy settings can vary across different types of user activities and in which the line between public and private content is blurry given the degree of user control over audience size and membership (eg, posts in a private Facebook group that has 40 000 members and a moderator with complete control over who joins).
Reference:
Gelinas, L., Pierce, R., Winkler, S., Cohen, I. G., Lynch, H. F., & Bierer, B. E. (2017). Using social media as a research recruitment tool: ethical issues and recommendations. The American Journal of Bioethics, 17(3), 3-14.