Nick Proferes has recently published (with co-authors from four other institutions), an analysis of 727 research articles that used Reddit as a source of data over a decade period. The article appears in Social Media + Society, detailing the sampling and methods used, and concludes with a warning: “Reddit’s unique structure and demographic characteristics suggest challenges to the generalizability of knowledge and models produced using Reddit sourced data, particularly if they are to be applied to new contexts outside of Reddit. It further suggests that users may not realize how their Reddit posts and comments are being used by researchers, and that this represents a significant ethical challenge.
Proferes, N. Jones, N., Gilbert, S. Fiesler, C., & Zimmer, M. (2021). Studying Reddit: A systematic overview of disciplines, approaches, methods, and ethics. Social Media + Society, 7(2), https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051211019004.
