Passive crowdsourcing of social media in environmental research: a systematic map

Ghermandi, A. and Sinclair, M. (2019) Passive crowdsourcing of social media in environmental research: a systematic map. Global Environmental Change, 55, pp. 36-47. (doi: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2019.02.003)

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Abstract

The analysis of data from social media and social networking sites may be instrumental in achieving a better understanding of human-environment interactions and in shaping future conservation and environmental management. In this study, we systematically map the application of social media data in environmental research. The quantitative review of 169 studies reveals that most studies focus on the analysis of people’s behavior and perceptions of the environment, followed by environmental monitoring and applications in environmental planning and governance. The literature testifies to a very rapid growth in the field, with Twitter (52 studies) and Flickr (34 studies) being most frequently used as data sources. A growing number of studies combine data from multiple sites and jointly investigates multiple types of media. A broader, more qualitative review of the insights provided by the investigated studies suggests that while social media data offer unprecedented opportunities in terms of data volume, scale of analysis, and real-time monitoring, researchers are only starting to cope with the challenges of data’s heterogeneity and noise levels, potential biases, ethics of data acquisition and use, and uncertainty about future data availability. Critical areas for the development of the field include integration of different types of information in data mashups, development of quality assurance procedures and ethical codes, improved integration with existing methods, and assurance of long-term, free and easy-to-access provision of public social media data for future environmental researchers.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:This research (Grant No. 2751/16) was supported by the Israel Science Foundation within the ISF-UGC joint research program frame-work.
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Sinclair, Dr Michael
Authors: Ghermandi, A., and Sinclair, M.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences
Journal Name:Global Environmental Change
Publisher:Elsevier
ISSN:0959-3780
ISSN (Online):1872-9495
Published Online:11 February 2019
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2019 The Authors
First Published:First published in Global Environmental Change 55:36-47
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

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