31 Researching the Role of Social Media
Guidelines for Researching the Role of Social Media
To prepare for your exploration of the social media context for your field of study and its associated professions, review this video on Social Media, created by Crash Course:
Use the following questions to guide your exploration of
- professional organizations’ use of social media,
- social media communication you observe directly in Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and
- commentary on the role of social media in your field and its associated professions:
Who is communicating with whom (practitioner with practitioner, professional organization with practitioners, novice with expert, etc.)?
What are they communicating (trends, topics of concern, topics related to the focus of your critical inquiry question, controversies)?
Why are they communicating (for what purpose)?
Where are they communicating (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, blog, etc.)?
Begin your exploration of the social media context for your field by going back to the professional organizations you explored in the Professional Organizations assignment and locate any social media platforms the organizations use. If you don’t see social media icons on the main part of the website, scroll down to the footer at the bottom of the page.
Expand your exploration by looking for answers to the Who, What, Why, and Where questions in communications related to your field of study on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Feel free to include other social media that are related to your field.
Complete your exploration by looking for commentary on the role of social media in your field of study and its associated professions in scholarly journals, trade publications, and/or news media. The best place to find this commentary will depend on your field of study and the particular professions you’re interested in. Using the following keyword search string should get you started:
<role and social media and [a keyword related to your field of study or profession]>.
If you need additional help with your search, please contact the CPS librarian at the Library Information Commons website.
