Unlocking Social Media and User Generated Content as a Data Source for Knowledge Management

Proliferation of UGC

Since the emergence of Web 2.0, the role of web browsers has evolved from enabling users to send content through basic e-mail or chat applications, to now supporting advanced electronic platforms such as Online Social Networks (OSNs). OSNs enable users to share videos, photos, and instant conversations. These platforms provide an important means by which communities can grow and consolidate, allowing individuals or groups to share interact with others (Abu-Salih, Wongthongtham, Chan, & Zhu, 2019). Several modern computing applications, for instance; online education, health, music and entertainment rely on the content generated by OSNs (Althoff, Jindal, & Leskovec, 2017). This is evidenced by the dramatic usage increase of these platforms for networking and communication (Shouhong & Hai, 2018). Pew Research Center reported that 74% of American adults in Jan 2018 used OSNs for social interactions compared to 5% in 2005 (Gramlich, 2019). In Australia, the usage statistics of OSNs in Jan 2017 indicated around 2.8 million Twitter active users, 14.8 million visits to YouTube and 4.0 million Snapchat active users (Social Media News, 2019). Such a dramatic uptake of the online social platforms has brought people together with shared interests, thoughts, and aims.