ABSTRACT
A case study is a descriptive and exploratory analysis of a real-world person, group, or event. Case studies are critical in testing ideas in areas, such as social sciences, medicine, and more because they can ultimately give a comparison between theory and reality. Practically speaking, a case study involves collecting data on a person, group, or event and analyzing the resulting data. As such, the focus of the chapter is on case studies, specifically within the context of social media. It begins with addressing some considerations and methods for case study selection, using Google Trends as a relatable and easily accessible example. It is immediately apparent that there are two smaller peaks after the first announcement peak in 2019. Numerous events may trigger social media chatter, e.g. an advancing hurricane, a mass shooting, a favorite sporting event, etc. Event-triggered social media activity develops as people have a strong initial impulse to tweet, post, or otherwise share new and noteworthy events.
