Ethical and Regulatory Considerations For Social Media Research

Abstract

Social media websites (SMWs) are increasingly popular research tools. These sites provide new opportunities for researchers, but raise new challenges for Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) that review these research protocols. To date, there is little guidance regarding how an Institutional Review Board (IRB) should review studies involving SMWs. The purpose of this paper was to review common risks inherent in social media research and consider how researchers can consider these risks when writing research protocols. This chapter focuses on three common research approaches: 1) observational research such as observing content created and posted on SMW, 2) interactive research including studies in which a researchers wishes to access SMW content that requires permission from the user, and 3) survey/ interview research in which SMWs may be used to recruit participants. Concomitant with these research approaches we gave particular attention to issues pertinent to SMW research including privacy, consent and confidentiality. After considering these challenges, we outline key considerations for both researchers and reviewers when creating or reviewing SMW IRB protocols. Our goal in this chapter is to provide a detailed examination of relevant IRB and regulatory issues for both researchers and those who review their protocols. SMWs provide opportunities for user participation in the creation and display of multimedia data. These popular websites are increasingly emerging as valuable research tools across a variety of fields including psychology, communication, sociology and public health.