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Reflecting on the ethics of qualitative Twitter research

Talbot, Catherine V.
cover of QMiP Bulletin
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Abstract

A small but growing body of qualitative research has examined Twitter data (e.g. Berry et al., 2017; Hemsley et al., 2015; Taylor & Pagilari, 2018). New technologies, however, present new ethical challenges. These ethical challenges are particularly relevant following the recent Cambridge Analytical scandal where account holders’ data was unethically harvested, shared, and used to target people with advertising. In this article, I will discuss the ethical issues of conducting Twitter research and reflect upon my own experiences of conducting Twitter research with people living with a diagnosis of dementia.