JMIR Publications

Background:

Loneliness is a dynamic phenomenon that can be investigated using social media and web data.

Objective:

This study aims to introduce a framework for studying loneliness through social media and online data sources. A case study is presented to demonstrate the deployment of this framework and its effectiveness in collecting and analyzing data related to loneliness.

Methods:

Our proposed framework involves collecting data from various social media and online sources. We discuss the modalities of analyzing the collected data based on the framework’s defined purpose. The analysis was conducted using tools such as Google Trends, the News application programming interface, X (formerly known as Twitter), Reddit, and other social media platforms. Different types of data were categorized according to the proposed framework to understand and study loneliness comprehensively.

Results:

The results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed framework in collecting various types of data related to loneliness. Tools such as Google Trends and the News application programming interface provided insights into loneliness trends in specific regions. Social media platforms offered behavioral data on loneliness, which were analyzed using sentiment analysis and social intelligence techniques. Correlations between loneliness and personal-emotional and socioeconomic categories were identified through this analysis.

Conclusions:

The framework and tools discussed in this paper complement psychosocial approaches to loneliness, which typically rely on self-report measurements. By incorporating online data perspectives, our framework provides valuable insights into loneliness dynamics, enhancing our understanding of this complex phenomenon.