1. Methods Question (Required)

Over the last few years Twitter feeds have become popular data sources for studying a wide range of social and cultural phenomena, from political activism and public opinion, to investor sentiment and stock market swings, to trends in popular culture and discourse. For this question, propose a research study that incorporates Twitter data as part of a mixed-methods design (i.e., one that uses a mix of quantitative and qualitative social science techniques, and/or critical/interpretive scholarship). Your research design must include:

• A well-formulated research question, problem or hypothesis for which Twitter feed data would be relevant or appropriate
• A brief review of essential literature that provides a background and rationale for the question you pose and your methodology
• A description of the specific data-gathering and -analysis procedures (including Twitter-related methods) that you will employ in the study to answer or address the research question
• A discussion of the strengths and limitations of the various elements of your mixed-methods design (that is, the different data sources, data gathering methods, and data analysis techniques, and their various qualities of reliabilty/validity, generalizability, etc.). Be sure to discuss the ways that the different techniques you choose for the study may “triangulate” with one another to offset or balance their various strengths and shortcomings.

1. Theory Question (Choose One)

Information and data have been theorized repeatedly from different disciplinary perspectives. Using a specific example from your own field of expertise (archives, information systems, history of information, assessment of professional practice, or any other specific research focus), map the distinctions made between information and data and the implications of this distinction for your field. Be sure to situate your discussion in the relevant theoretical literature.

OR

The recent revolutions in North Africa and the Middle East have been discussed regularly by the mainstream media and by scholars in terms of social media and information flows. Discuss the ways that information studies can make sense of this connection; focus on the socio-technical, infrastructural, economic and/or political factors that affect social media and its relationship to users, whether grassroots activists, the mass media, or the governments in question.