Social media researchers ‘should gain consent’

The report, based on a sample of 34 social media users, explores the views of these users on how their online information is used by researchers. It reveals that some people feel researchers remain obliged to gain consent and protect anonymity, as well as to make clear the value and validity of the research to participants.

According to NatCen, many social media users also “struggled to stay on top of privacy mechanisms and were unsure about the legal boundaries and regulations governing data use on the various social networking sites.”

One of the report’s authors, Alexandra Fry, said: “While most researchers are champing at the bit to start exploring the reams of information available online and via social media, it is a field wrought with ethical dilemmas. This reports provides a voice that is often missing from discussions about the ethics of online research; the voice of the users. We now know that researchers must communicate better articulate the nature, value and rigour of their work.”

Read the full report here.