how can you access data

You need access to social media to conduct your analysis. Find step-by-step guidance on accessing data from social media platforms.

 

1. Each company has different processes, which range in difficulty and time needed to access data

Youtube and Twitter data access is almost instant but requires programming skills. Facebook data access is the most difficult and time-intensive as there is no clear procedure.

  • Get access early in case the process takes longer than planned
  • If you’re having difficulties getting access to Facebook data, try to reach out to a real company employee 
  • Test Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) as soon as possible to assess if further technical capacities are needed on your team

 

2. Available data varies by platform, which impacts what is possible to study

Facebook’s CrowdTangle and the YouTube API do not include private user comments. Public Tweets are available, which make it possible to understand citizen dialogue.

  • Twitter is great for citizen dialogue
  • Facebook access includes public pages and groups (no comments)
  • YouTube’s API includes related videos, description, tags (no comments)

 

3. Use data ethically by following platform policies and relevant data laws

See the EU’s Guide on SMM written by DRI for more information on data ethics.

  • Identify whether any aspects of the data pose a ‘risk to users’.
  • Ensure the data is anonymous and untraceable.
  • Collect only necessary data pertaining to the research question.
  • Disclose when and how data is collected.
  • Disclose how data is analysed with a clear replicable methodology.
  • Store data safely to avoid leaks or abuses.
  • Develop and publish a privacy policy with clear communication channels to answer any questions from the public.
Platform Tool Difficulty to Access Time Needed Available Metrics Country Available

Facebook

CrowdTangle / Ad Library

Difficult / Easy

 +/-3 months

Aggregate, post-level data of public pages and groups / Information about political advertisements

All / Limited

Instagram

CrowdTangle

Difficult

 +/-3 months

Aggregate, post-level data of public pages and groups

All

Twitter

Twitter API

Easy to gain credentials / Requires programming to connect to API

 +/- 1 day

Tweets, retweets, comments, interactions, location, post type and more

All

YouTube

YouTube API v.3

Easy to gain credentials / Requires programming to connect to API

 1 day

Video title, video tags, video description, interactions, video category, etc.

All

WhatsApp

No official access available

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 -

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TikTok

No official access available

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 -

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Click onto a platform icon to discover information on the following:
Facebook Instagram Twitter WhatsApp YouTube
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