The missing link: a preliminary typology for understanding link decay in social media

Walker, Shawn; Agarwal, Sheetal

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/89413 Copy

Description

Title

The missing link: a preliminary typology for understanding link decay in social media

Author(s)

Walker, Shawn; Agarwal, Sheetal

Issue Date

2016-03-15

Keyword(s)

• social media
• archives
• ephemerality
• methods
• data collection

Abstract

In this study we offer a preliminary typology of types of link ephemerality that can occur and affect content of social media data. The preliminary typology emerged while collecting and analyzing social media data, videos, and web links in three distinct projects. The Internet Archive was also queried to determine if each URL was archived and the timespan between tweet production and archiving. Since certain types of URL change may have a negative impact on our research, we need a more nuanced understanding of the ways in which URLs in social media data change. Understanding this change moves us beyond binary inclusion/exclusion categories of accessible (“404 Not Found”) and inaccessible. Our analysis and typology informs researchers’ data collection strategies as well as opening up the possibilities on setting more nuanced boundaries on data collection and inclusion.

Publisher

iSchools

Series/Report Name or Number

IConference 2016 Proceedings

Type of Resource

text

Language

eng

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/89413

DOI

https://doi.org/10.9776/16590

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2016 is held by the authors. Copyright permissions, when appropriate, must be obtained directly from the authors.

Owning Collections