Thinking patterns of users during content tagging in social media sites
1. Thinking Patterns of Users during
Content Tagging in Social Media Sites
Pilot Study
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Aravind Sesagiri Raamkumar
3. Research Objectives
Explore key themes that characterize the thought process of users during
content tagging in social media sites
To use qualitative research methods to validate the key findings of
quantitative & other research studies on tagging behavior:-
Tagging motivations vary across different tagging systems
Majority of users tend to be categorizers than describers
Tagging system enhancements (ex: Tag Recommenders) have a
significant impact on user’s tagging behavior
(Strohmaier, 2009)
Categorizer or Describer?
Public use or Personal use?
Consistent or Inconsistent?
Formal vs. Informal?
4. a small but important note…
Tagging in FB with person
and place names is not
free-text tagging!
5. Significance of the Research
Supposedly, first of its kind in qualitative research studies
Finding out new themes hitherto unattained by other research methodologies
Understanding the literacy level of users on the topic of content tagging
So as to emphasize the need for education
Providing an entry point for ontology extraction from folksonomies
6. Methodology
• Researcher motivations – related to core research areas
Build-up (Folksonomy and Ontologies)
to topic • Brief idea of a potential topic
selection
• Survey of literature within discipline
Literature • In this case, it was outside the discipline
Review
• Arriving at the research objectives of the topic in hand
Framing
the topic
Participant
• Validating the applicability of different research approaches
observation
Approach • Selection of the appropriate approach - Mixed methods
selection
• Selecting sampling method - Convenience!
Sampling • Questions for the interview based on research objectives Tagging
Interview
and • Selection of content for tagging exercise Exercise
Questions
For tagging exercise, certain resources (content) selected on the potential of evoking multiple
interpretations
• Images and web pages used for the exercise can be got from this link
7. Fieldwork
Two pilot interviews within this pilot study
• To evaluate the appropriateness of interview questions
• To evaluate the effectiveness of the tagging exercise
• To determine the flow of activities
Initial set of Tagging 2nd set of Analyzing user Last set of
questions exercise questions assigned tags questions
Interviews and tagging exercise conducted in natural settings
Semi-structured Interviews conducted in native language
Transcription process and analysis
• Major issues and categories (themes) identified from each transcription
immediately after each interview – concurrent interviewing and analysis
8. Initial Findings Main Themes
Users have a natural desire to describe non-textual content rather than textual content ->
Hence can’t say users tend to be categorizers than describers in general, but…
Users’ tagging behavior consciously changes based on content type and not based on
the system -> Tagging behavior change across systems is an implication!
Users' natural flow of thought is affected by tag enhancement features -> Perhaps, slight
UI changes needed
Users’ (lack of ) understanding of the entire tagging lifecycle is clearly seen in their
perception of the whole process -> Most users (at least Asians) are in need of education
Users think to add tags mainly for public usage and not for personal usage -> Goes with
the expectations of tagging as an activity
Average of three to four tags added per resource - As Tagging as an activity doesn’t seem to demand persuasion!
per NORM
9. Issues & Notes
Unsaturated potential themes
Users’ tagging behavior is (in)dependant [of/on] personal life experiences
Users’ tagging behavior changes from casual to formal in professional environments
Issues
Observation is an inappropriate method for this topic
Tagging is an activity that normally demands very less attention from users in real word settings
=>High probability of showcasing idealistic behavior during tagging exercise
Lack of a representative sample
Volume of content (ex: images) tagged, determines the validity of theme 1
High
Categorization
behavior
Retort to theme 2 =>
Low High
Volume of images uploaded
10. Future Work
A case study approach concentrating on a group of users (perhaps pilot users for a new
tagging based system) could be employed during the Requirements phase
Content analysis and questionnaires are the appropriate methods for analyzing large
samples (n=1000+) along with a few personal interviews – Triangulation
Non-English social media sites could be brought into the purview