Table of Contents

Social Data: What it is, How it Works, Limitations

Updated August 28, 2020

What Is Social Data?

Social data is information that social media users publicly share and includes metadata such as the user’s location, language spoken, biographical data, and shared links. Examples of social data include tweets on Twitter, posts on Facebook, pins on Pinterest, posts on Tumblr, and check-ins on Yelp. Marketers and advertisers use social data to market to targeted users who are likely to be interested in products or brands.

Key Takeaways

Social data is information that users publicly share and includes metadata such as location and biographical data.
Social media companies collect social data to target advertisements through surveillance advertising or behavioral advertising.
Personal social data collected and retained can be vulnerable to hacking, scraping, and data breaches.

Understanding Social Data

Users voluntarily make social data public, allowing other users and companies free and easy access to it. Social data is commonly used to capture aspects of human behavior. Social media companies collect personal data to target advertisements through surveillance advertising or behavioral advertising.

Companies refine their target audience by gender, language spoken, electronic device used, age, interests, location, and other factors. Social data not only helps companies acquire new customers, but it also helps them further engage with existing customers.

Data Breaches

Personal social data collected and retained can be vulnerable to hacking, scraping, and data breaches. Data extracted can include location information, health information, religious identity, sexual orientation, private messages, or personal photos.

Hackers are continuously looking for ways to locate data and gain access to monetary accounts. They may use social media accounts to attempt to guess security questions on financial sites, and send customized "phishing" messages to request personal information.

Social Data Science

Social data science is the study of how social data is collected on networking sites and then analyzed to determine influence, reach, and relevance. Coding is the tool used by data scientists to implement methods of data analysis and produce and use results. Businesses use this type of data study to track human behavior, sentiment, and viral activity.

What Are Social Media Bots?

Social media bots, or robots, use artificial intelligence to imitate user behavior and act as users. They are used for both productive and malicious tasks on social media platforms to stimulate human behavior and reaction.

How Do Algorithms Track Social Data?

An algorithm is a mathematical set of rules which decides how data behaves. Algorithms help maintain order and assist in ranking search results and advertisements on social media platforms.

What Are the Limitations of Social Data?

Social data is limited to the information that users choose to share. Some users may not share their location or their gender, giving advertisers an incomplete profile to work with if a company is targeting a specific audience.

The Bottom Line

Social data is publicly shared user information on media platforms. It includes metadata such as location and biographical data. Social media companies collect personal data to help target advertisements. Personal social data that is collected can be vulnerable to hacking and data breaches.

Article Sources

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Electronic Privacy Information Center. "Social Media Privacy."
University of Pennsylvania. "The Dangers of Sharing Personal Information on Social Media."
University of Central London. "What Is Social Data Science?"
National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies. "Social Media Bots Overview."
Digital Marketing Institute. "How Do Social Media Algorithms Work?"

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