Automated image extraction from Instagram for social research

Abstract

The use of social media data in social research has grown exponentially since the early 2010s, with many social researchers incorporating some degree of social media analysis. Following the 2018 Cambridge Analytica controversy, most social media providers locked access to their users’ data, leaving researchers with limited options to study the information in it. Scholars have taken different stands, advocating data policies that allow for critical research, achieving partnerships with data providers, or—sometimes—violating the Terms of Use of the platforms to access the information. Despite the limitations, great progress has been made using text-based data, while image-based methodologies remain limited, partly because of the lockout. This paper proposes a methodology for automated image extraction from Instagram, using Instalooter. It presents the necessary setup and steps to obtain images based on a series of search parameters before discussing the ethical implications of its potential use.