The perception of useful information derived from Twitter: A survey of professionals

Abstract

In this study we gathered data from 220 professional users of information via a survey. Twitter is perceived as a service for useful information but not for the reason one may expect, not because the content of the tweets give valuable information, but because of what can be derived and extracted from the information that is being tweeted and not tweeted. Professional users are aware that tweets are being manipulated by communication departments so they adjust for this in their understanding of the content that is being delivered. For the same reason "fake news" is not seen as a problem either by professionals. Twitter is seen as valuable alongside other social media software (additional software solutions) and used directly together with other software (integrated software solutions). As a stand-alone service it is found to be of less value to experienced users and there are no signs that Twitter is a valuable tool for learning.