Balancing the Needs of Social Media Research with the Perspectives of High-Profile Figures

Publicly available social media data has become increasingly important for understanding issues of public interest–particularly data belonging to accounts with a high number of followers. This type of content is often perceived as less sensitive and requiring less protection. But less protection is not necessarily the same as no protection. Social media may attract young people, activists, and others seeking fame or greater public visibility, but there are also plenty of individuals who accidentally go viral.

High-profile figures’ tweets, photos, videos, and blogs often include individuals who are not the user (e.g., children, people in the background of a gymfluencer video, a friend joining in a user’s dance video—imperfectly referred to as bystanders). Additionally, online platforms allow users to delete content or restrict once-public content to a smaller audience.

Researchers seeking to uphold ethical principles such as respect for persons (autonomy), beneficence (maximizing benefits while minimizing harm), and justice should carefully consider how these values apply when working with this type of data—especially if a goal is to inform or earn the trust of policymakers and the public.