A staggering amount of social media data is created every day, about every topic under the sun. We can learn a great deal from all of this data– if we have a way to capture, analyze, and visualize it. The Public Insight Lab empowers faculty and students across campus to collect and explore social media conversations and traditional media coverage, analyze sentiment and engagement, and identify insights that inform action. Current faculty using data from the Lab are addressing research topics ranging from young adult mental health to drug overdoses, perceptions of teaching to NFL overseas expansion. Public Insight Lab tools and data are also used by students in classes and in student advertising and public relations competitions. We are excited to work with a student to help facilitate these projects.
| Advisor Name: | Valerie Jones | |
| Email: | valerie@unl.edu | |
| Secondary Contact: | Cory Armstrong | |
| Secondary Contact Email: | cory.armstrong@unl.edu | |
| Website: | https://journalism.unl.edu/valerie-jones | |
| Advisor College: | Journalism and Mass Communication | |
| Advisor Department: | Journalism and Mass Communications | |
| Potential Student Tasks: | – Learn and develop expertise in social media research software (training will be provided) – Coordinate with faculty and student users – Manage inquiries about the Public Insight Lab – Give demos of software – Help develop training materials (video and/or print overviews) and train others – Facilitate regular Insight Lab user group meetings – Help develop communication to database – Stay on top of social media-related research May also research social media accounts to collect; review a large number of social media texts, images, and videos on various topics; and identify the presence of certain message features in each post using a pre-determined codebook. Tasks and learning will differ depending on the applicant’s previous experience and interest areas. |
|
| Student Qualifications: | • Strong interest in social media research and learning cutting edge software • Excellent writing, presentation, and communication skills • Ability to work with a variety of stakeholders from a variety of disciplines, from other students to faculty • General understanding of social media platforms and practices • Attention to detail; commitment to great work and collaboration • Curiosity and passion for learning new things • Patience This is interdisciplinary work; students from any major are welcome to apply (but may be of special interest to students in Journalism and Mass Communications, health-related fields, and communications, technology, and media-related fields). |
|
| Training, Mentoring, and Workplace Community: | Student can work remotely or at study spaces in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications. This opportunity is designed for working directly with me and the Public Insight Lab team. We’ll meet weekly or bi-weekly, in person or virtually, for guidance, training, and progress check-ins. I want you to grow and learn and will support that by being communicative, collaborative, and eager for your feedback, questions, and ideas. | |
| Available Positions | 1 | |
