Promises and Pitfalls of Social Media Data Donations

Figures & data

Figure 1 (a). An Instagram story in a DDP from 2020. (b). The same Instagram story in a DDP from 2022.

Note: In 2022, Instagram offers the option to download DDPs in HTML or JSON format. The images and videos that are posted in an Instagram story are stored in the “media” folder, under the folder with the relevant date and subsequently the “stories” folder. The caption that goes with the story is stored in the “content” folder in the “stories” text file and can be opened in JSON or HTML.

Table 1. Overview of text files and information obtained from each text file.

Name text file	Description of information obtained from each file
Profile	The date at which the account was created. Whether the account is set to private or public.
Connections	We used this file to assess the number of followers, number of accounts followed, number of follow requests sent, number of accounts that are blocked, and the number of accounts that are listed as close friends. We assessed the overall status of these connections at the time of donation (account characteristics) and changes in these connections during the 32-week study period (account activity).
Comments	The number of comments on others’ posts.
Likes	Likes of others’ posts. Likes of others’ comments under posts.
Media	This file contains five sections: “direct messages,” “photos,” “profile,” “videos,” and “stories.” We assessed the number of photos in direct messages, the number of photos that are posted, the number of videos that are posted, and the number of updates to stories.
Messages	Direct messages are organized in “conversations” or group chats, and each conversation contains all messages that have ever been exchanged with that same group of people. We identified the number of group chats the participant was part of, the number of direct messages that the participant sent in each group chat and across all group chats. We also identified different types of messages and included: text, images, sharing stories, sharing posts, likes of messages (hearts), sharing GIFs, invitation to live video.
Saved	This file consists of two sections, “saved posts” and “saved collections.” Saved posts are all posts of others that a participant saved to their account. Saved collections are all collections a participant created under which the posts are saved. This can be compared to Pinterest. The content saved is only visible to the participant.
Searches	The number of searches for hashtags, places, and other users.
Seen_Content	The frequency of clicking on content of others. This content is divided in clicks on profiles, photo posts, video posts, and ads seen.
Shopping	Product information viewed and product information saved.
Stories_activities	All interactive story elements of other accounts that a user has participated in. We identified polls, emoji sliders, questions, quizzes, and countdowns.

Figure 2. Frequencies of different Instagram activities.

Note. Posting = posting of photos and videos; Updating stories = all updates to stories; DM’ing = all direct messages sent; Content seen = clicking on profiles, photos, videos, and ads; Commenting = comments on posts; Liking = liking of posts.

Figure 3. Fluctuations in posting, updating stories, direct messaging, commenting, and liking over time from the top 10 accounts engaging in each activity.

Table 2 Checklist of challenges to take into account when collecting (Instagram) DDPs

Study design phase

Be sure to match the sample with the social media platform(s) and the social media activity of interest. Are you sure this age group participates in that activity on that platform? Would you need multiple platforms? Make sure that the DDPs of the platform(s) of interest contain the data of interest. For example, Snapchat DDPs contain timestamps but no content, Instagram DDPs contain limited information on browsing, use of filters or feedback from others, WhatsApp is only downloadable per conversation and thus does not easily provide a full overview of all messages. Are the DDPs part of a larger study, then consider whether the content of the DDPs should cover the full time period of that study. For example, data donation should happen at the end of a longitudinal study if other data need to be linked with the data in the DDPs.

(2) DDP collection preparation phase

Check the latest structure and content of the DDPs not too long before the start of the study. The content and structure may change over time. For Instagram, some information can be found on help.Instagram.com, but most informative is downloading and comparing a variety of DDPs before you start. Check the latest instructions for how to request DDPs, these may also change. Minimize the number of steps that are required from download request to donation Test all steps with different devices and browsers. Decide whether online, hybrid or face-to-face sharing is most optimal for your project Is it a group that can be instructed together, e.g., a school/university? Are the participants somewhat tech savvy or do they need help? If Internet is required for completion, do all participants have access to proper wifi? How much research assistance and how many participants do you have? Take into account that the time in between the download request and receiving the DPP ranges from 0-48 hours. Provide visual instructions in which each step is clearly demonstrated. DDPs can be downloaded via the social media app or webpage. The instructions should match participants’ choice of download. For the social media app, the instructions should match the phone type (e.g., iPhone or Android). Consider if participants will share multiple accounts and adjust the steps accordingly. If the DDPs will be uploaded to an online space, the upload speed of the Internet connection should be considered. Spotty or slow Internet may result in incomplete uploads. Consider whether the complete DDP or individual files and folders are shared, the procedure and instructions should take that into account. Individual files and folders will require participants to open the zip file and select certain files and folders. This could be complex, certainly if the participant is not tech savvy. Not all phones have the capacity to download/upload adequately. This could be due to limited space, or inability to upload a zip file. The size of the DDP depends on the activity level of the participant and ranges from a few KB for infrequent users to a few GB for frequent users. Some accounts will consist of multiple zip files (Part 1/Part 2/..). This depends on DDP size and phone type.

(3) DDP collection - download phase

Participants need to enter the login details of their Instagram account to request their DDP. Many participants are automatically logged on to the app and do not know their login information. Instruct participants to have their login information ready. Make clear the information is only to login, not to share with the researchers. Some younger participants may need permission from their parents to login to apps. Participants need to enter an email address for Instagram to send the DDP to Some participants may need permission from their parents to do so or an email address from their parents. Most participants will receive the DDP directly upon request, others a few minutes, hours, or days later. It is wise to build in checks for every step as a researcher. This can be done by building the download process into a survey program such as Qualtrics. Some participants may say they have never received their DDP. This can be due to a technical glitch or participants may simply no longer want to share their DDP. Did participants check their email? Some participants will check the app instead of their email for the file.

(4) DDP collection - upload phase

Some participants may have trouble finding the file that they just downloaded from their email. Mention the download folder in the instructions. If the internet speed is too slow, participants should find place with better wifi. Check right away if the files have been adequately submitted. Can the file be opened? Have all accounts/parts been submitted? For example, if you see Part 1 and 3, but not 2, something went wrong. If a file is 0 KB, something went wrong. Be sure to have an option for participants to re-upload their DDP.