Review of the #NSMNSS network - international community of social science researchers exploring social media in social research.f

1. Blurring the boundaries:
New Social Media, New Social
Science?
Kandy Woodfield, Director of Learning & Enterprise,
NatCen Social Research
Newton Roundtable: Social media data & research
9th January 2015, London
#NSMNSS

2. Blurring the boundaries?
Innovation
Collaboration
Inspiration
Fresh thinking▪Network of methodological
innovation
▪Funded by ESRC (via NCRM) initially
▪Now in its third year, self-funded,
peer led, network leads @
▪Affiliate organisations from
academia, government and voluntary
sector

3. Aims of the network
Innovation
Collaboration
Inspiration
Fresh thinking▪On & off line community of practice
▪Forge links between academics, practitioners, platforms
& across disciplines
▪Catalyse debate
▪Address challenges social media present for social
science research
▪Share approaches, tools & experiences of using social
media Identify good practice
▪Co-created content & guidance to be shared with the
wider community

4. How it works? Innovation
Collaboration
Inspiration
Fresh thinkingNetwork activities across a range
of platforms:
▪ Twitter: @NSMNSS, #NSMNSS
▪ Blog: http://nsmnss.blogspot.co.uk/
▪ You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/NSMNSS
▪Conferences
▪Knowledge exchange events
▪Methodological projects
▪Publishing

5. 76%
employed
34%
students
75% HE sector
25% other
65% in UK
35% worldwide
58% female
42% male
700+
NSMNSS members
20 disciplinary
fields

6. Over 17, 178
minutes of
video watched
3 0nline seminars
2
conferences
7 knowledge exchange
seminars
14 themed twitter chats
137 blog posts
So far…
3,945
video
views on
You Tube
140,143blog page views

7. Available from Amazon Kindle
▪Innovative digital
publication
▪Crowd-sourced
▪Book of fifty-three blogs
▪New and existing
bloggers
▪Exploring the challenges
and opportunities of
social media research
▪Looks at ethics, tools,
methods, the researcher
role, skills etc…

8. What have we learnt?
▪ Social media being used in most soc sci
disciplines
▪ Research innovation & ground breaking use of
technologies
▪Great examples of multi-disciplinary research
▪ Silos & divides do still exist and are counter-
productive to moving social media
methodology(ies) forward
▪ No single methodology for social media
research – many approaches, many tools,
different epistemological stances

11. What have we learnt? II
Persisting uncertainty about whether
we are ‘getting it right’
▪Ethical dilemmas - lack of consistent,
relevant guidance – NSMNSS reports on this
▪What are the political, ethical, legal
issues?
▪ Do we understand the digital world well
enough to make these choices?
▪ Lack of research with users of social media
platforms or engagement with platform
providers

13. What have we learnt? III
‘Getting it right’ is also about
methodological quality:
▪What is a robust sample from Twitter or
Facebook?
▪Need to develop methodological courage and
confidence to defend the method
Scepticism and cynicism persist
▪Digital literacy & methodological skills gaps
▪Lack of experience and understanding in
institutions, ethics boards and funders

14. Thank you
If you want further information or
would like to contact the
network:
nsmnss@natcen.ac.uk
http://nsmnss.blogspot.co.uk/
kandy.woodfield@natcen.ac.uk
@nsmnss on Twitter
Useful reading:
Woodfield. K Ed. (2014) Social Media in
Social Research – blogs on blurring the
boundaries (London: NatCen) E-book
Fry. A et al (2013) Research using social
media: user views (London: NatCen)
Salmons, Janet (2013) New social media,
new social science & new ethical issues
(London: Sage/Natcen)
PDF: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1-
gmLw9jo6fLTQ5X0oyeE1aRjQ/edit