Ethical challenges around the use of social media data: Views of researchers and research ethics committee members

Abstract

This paper reports the presence of a problematic “personal ethics” approach to decision-making by social media scholars who use data from general audience social media platforms for their research. This paper uses data from UK higher education institutions, journal Editors, UK funding bodies, social media research scholars, and research ethics committee members, consider the ethical boundaries of SM data. In particular, it focuses on how these academic governing bodies are failing to consistently promote a community-wide norm relating to the used of SM data. This leads to the application of ad hoc ethical definitions, or the promotion of the ability of researchers to apply a sense of “personal ethics” about SM use, that is not necessarily in line with the nature of SM data. As such, this paper offers a number of recommendations for the academic community to reflect on the ethical dimensions associated with responsible research behaviour relative to the use of SM data.