An international team I know are building a taxonomy of Twitter use and none of them use Twitter. 
Twitter being public represents data!
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As you noted, social media offers deep & vital social connections to ppl physically or socially isolated. I'd add also enriches lives of URM
It *does* matter that the biggest names in social media research are White, able bodied and don't use social media the way others do.
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Social media amplifies and reinforces what people expect and do offline. It is bizarre to still see these articles saying "get offline."
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People seem to put moral judgements on certain forms of communication. TV still gets a rough ride but the telephone was largely embraced.
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The same hyperbolic arguments about how social media will be the end of "civilisation" were made about printing press/ TV/ internet
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The moral furore over certain types of music. But usually only after it's been co-opted by white youth.
End of conversation
New conversation -
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And there's enough other research that's already well established that social media should not be treated in isolation from social context.
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"Who watches the watchers?" Privileged researchers> don't use soc med> don't study how marginalised folx use it> skewed findings
End of conversation
New conversation -
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