Testing Propositions Derived from Twitter Studies: Generalization and Replication in Computational Social Science

PLoS One. 2015 Aug 19;10(8):e0134270. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0134270. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Replication is an essential requirement for scientific discovery. The current study aims to generalize and replicate 10 propositions made in previous Twitter studies using a representative dataset. Our findings suggest 6 out of 10 propositions could not be replicated due to the variations of data collection, analytic strategies employed, and inconsistent measurements. The study's contributions are twofold: First, it systematically summarized and assessed some important claims in the field, which can inform future studies. Second, it proposed a feasible approach to generating a random sample of Twitter users and its associated ego networks, which might serve as a solution for answering social-scientific questions at the individual level without accessing the complete data archive.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Attention
  • Circadian Rhythm
  • Data Collection
  • Ego
  • Humans
  • Information Dissemination
  • Social Media*
  • Social Sciences / methods

Grants and funding

This research was supported by the Small Project Funding from The University of Hong Kong (Project Code: 201409176011) and the Public Policy Research Fund, Hong Kong Government (2013.A8.009.14A).