Studying Reddit: A Systematic Overview of Disciplines, Approaches, Methods, and Ethics

Abstract

This article offers a systematic analysis of 727 manuscripts that used Reddit as a data source, published between 2010 and 2020. Our analysis reveals the increasing growth in use of Reddit as a data source, the range of disciplines this research is occurring in, how researchers are getting access to Reddit data, the characteristics of the datasets researchers are using, the subreddits and topics being studied, the kinds of analysis and methods researchers are engaging in, and the emerging ethical questions of research in this space. We discuss how researchers need to consider the impact of Reddit’s algorithms, affordances, and generalizability of the scientific knowledge produced using Reddit data, as well as the potential ethical dimensions of research that draws data from subreddits with potentially sensitive populations.

Exploring patient experiences and concerns in the online Cochlear Implant community: a natural language processing approach

“…The CI subreddit, ‘r/Cochlearimplants’, currently has over 2400 members. 17 Although Reddit is increasingly recognised as a valuable source of data in many other medical specialties, 18 r/Cochlearimplants has not been examined thus far. An exploration of this subreddit, to identify common questions posed by prospective CI users, would allow clinicians to provide more detailed information to those wishing to consider implantation.…”

Ideological variation in preferred content and source credibility on Reddit during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Underscoring Reddit's importance in academic research, a recent review found more than 700 studies leveraging data sets from Reddit over the 2010–2020 period (i.e. Proferes et al, 2021 ). The website is a collection of independently moderated subcommunities—known as subreddits—organized around shared interests by subscribers.…”

“…Our study is based on Reddit data; thus, it is useful to point out some attendant limitations of Reddit that have a bearing on the interpretation of our findings. The Reddit user base is mostly young (58% in the 18–34 years range), male (57%), and resides in the USA (plurality of 49%) ( Proferes et al, 2021 ; Statista, 2021 ). Our findings should be understood incorporating that context.…”

“…Our findings should be understood incorporating that context. As we note earlier, because of its popularity—that is, 52 million daily active users ( Proferes et al, 2021 )—and impact on real world events, Reddit is worth studying in its own right. Reddit's affordances make it possible to answer questions on whether aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic are ideologically politicized in ways that might not be possible otherwise.…”

Big data and Belmont: On the ethics and research implications of consumer-based datasets

“…A sizable portion of social science research involving big data has used datasets obtained from publicly accessible platforms such as social media websites, including Twitter and Reddit (Golder and Macy, 2014; Proferes et al, 2021). Although there is a common practice toward anonymizing and deidentifying individual records when analyzing big data, major ethical issues remain unsettled for these sources on key topics regarding consent, privacy, and the definition of “human subjects”-based research.…”