ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the social media as a researcher tool for survey design. Regarding use, Smith found that about two-thirds of online adults use social media platforms such as Face book, Twitter, MySpace. Some scholars researching marginalized populations have employed new online sampling techniques, most notably pay-per-click (PPC) advertising systems and targeted messages in certain social media sites, to increase participation in online surveys. One such group that may be at risk for under-sampling in online survey research is lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals. Twitter established in 2006 as a social media space for short information sharing, was the second social media site assessed for our survey distribution. However, particularly in marginalized communities, social media advertisements afford users the added benefits of privacy and anonymity. As Internet-based research tools become more practical and sophisticated, researchers should consider the use of social media for recruitment of subjects for large-scale surveys.
