Social Media as Data Source

Several companies, including Fortune 500 Companies, have turned to the so called “customer experience” method of collecting data, using information shared on social media platforms as a way of deciding how to run their business. It’s certainly a robust set of data and it has several advantages, because it is: Free Genuine Instant Despite the Cambridge Analytica scandal and continued tightening of data usage restrictions by the European Union, U.S. and other countries, there is still a lot of data out there to take advantage of.

But does social media really represent the pulse/thoughts of the people? The answer is likely to be no” There are several qualities that affect the value of the data, including: Highly Specialized Sample – People like to believe that social media is being used by everyone, but the reality is that those that share every thought they have on every product they use represent a very, very small subgroup of the general population – even of the social media sites themselves. Most people, even those already using social media, simply don’t share their thoughts or insights, so those that do have qualities about them that are different than the rest of the population.

Rants/Raves Over Substance – Most people that share their thoughts also share them for the reaction from their friends and family, not necessarily because of their true feelings for the product. When Apple releases new products, it’s not uncommon for people to discuss how much they hate Apple, but underneath the Tweet it says “Twitter for iPhone.” People say things they don’t mean in order to garner a reaction, or because they simply share every thought that enters their mind without thinking. Treating that data as though it has value is often giving it a false sense of importance.

Business Tweets – Not all social media is used by regular people. Many businesses, including spammers, use social media to market their products, con people into paying more money, etc. These people may easily look like regular users and may say things about your product that are not representative of the truth, only to try to market their own products instead.

This doesn’t mean that social media doesn’t have some purpose, but it does show the limits of using social media as a real source of data. The question then becomes – what can these sites be used for?