Without a Trace: How Studying Invisible Interactions Can Help Us Understand Social Media

Scholars studying social media have embraced the opportunities afforded by behavioral data captured by online tools to explore the implications of platform use for outcomes such as well-being, relationship maintenance, and perceptions of social capital. However, the prevalence of these methods demands that we consider their potential limitations and the question of how to best combine them with more traditional methods, such as self-report surveys. For this panel, scholars will share brief presentations then engage with the audience, and each other, to identify concerns, opportunities, and best practices. Guiding questions include: What is lost when we rely exclusively on click-based data? How can researchers better measure and account for "invisible" interactions such as exchanges that are triggered by social media, but occur in other channels? What principles are important to bear in mind as we attempt to capture, document, and understand contemporary social media practices?