Using social media data to explore communication processes within South Korean online innovation communities

Abstract

In order to explore new scientific and innovative communities, analyses based on a technological infrastructure and its related tools, for example, 'Web of science' database for Scientometric analysis, are necessary. However, there is little systematic documentation of social media data and webometric analysis in relation to Korean and broader Asian innovation communities. In this short communication, we present (1) webometric techniques to identify communication processes on the Internet, such as social media data collection and analysis using an API-based application; and (2) experimentation with new types of data visualization using NodeXL, such as social and semantic network analysis. Our research data is drawn from the social networking site, Twitter. We also examine the overlap between innovation communities in terms of their shared members, and then, (3) calculate entropy values for trilateral relationships. © 2011 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, Hungary.