The Role of Social Network Analysis in Social Media Research

Abstract

Previous studies regarding social interactions commonly adopt research methods that investigate causal relationships between variables. The existing approaches often utilize variables derived from general contexts, aiming to apply them universally across diverse situations. However, social interactions, including the usage of social media, are intricately woven within the immediate social context. The interpretability of these generalized variables has been attenuated by the dynamic and transient nature of social contexts; these variables have diverse impacts on social interactions. Consequently, researchers have been diligently seeking new variables relevant to specific social contexts in order to complement the existing generalized ones. However, the ever-changing nature of social contexts poses a challenge, impeding researchers from exhaustively defining all variables that influence social interactions. To address this complexity, this study proposes social network analysis as a suitable research method capable of capturing the ever-evolving dynamics of social interactions, including social media usage. Furthermore, this study puts forth hypotheses that specifically explore the role of individual social networks in social media research, with the aim of stimulating future investigations that center on the interactive and dynamic nature of social media usage.