Online Social Networks: Concepts for Data Collection and Analysis

Updated methodological guide for collecting and analyzing online social network data, reflecting the significant changes in platform architectures since the first edition. Addresses the growing tension between researchers' analytical needs and platforms' progressive restriction of data access.

Updated for a landscape transformed by mobile platforms, API restrictions, and ethical concerns about user data, this chapter brings the methodological guidance into the current era. Serves as a practical bridge between the technical realities of contemporary platform architectures and the analytical needs of social researchers.