These tools require more technical know-how than others featured in this guide. As a result, they may not be the best choices for short-term assignments or other projects where you may not be able to devote time to learning and troubleshooting.
| Tool | Purpose | Technical Access |
|---|---|---|
| 4CAT Capture & Analysis Toolkit | Use to analyze data from a range of social media platforms. Works best when you download data using Zeeschuimer (see below). | Need to install on a server |
| Zeeschuimer |
Collects data for later analysis as you browse a social media site. Meant to work with 4CAT (see above), but can be used to export a JSON file of posts for viewing separately. |
Firefox browser extension |
| Communalytic | Collects and lets you analyze data from social media networks. The free education access lets you access data from BlueSky, Mastodon, Reddit, Telegram, and YouTube. | Online with free educational login |
| YouTube Data Tools | Generates API calls to retrieve information about YouTube channels, videos, etc. | Online, but still need to use YouTube API |
| ICPSR Social Media Archive (SOMAR) | Gathers, processes, and provides research access to datasets of social media content from a variety of platforms. Data labelled "restricted" requires an application process to access. | Generally a programming language like Python. Large datasets require hard drive or server space. |
For a more extensive look at research tools for social media (including command line tools), see Social Media Research (American University Libraries) and the Digital Methods Initiative Tool Archive.
There are myriad paid tools aimed at marketers which may be useful for research in some cases. Examples include Talkwalker, Meltwater, Keyhole (from MuckRack), and Emplifi, among others.