Social Media Data Access in the Post-API Age

This chapter examines the evolving landscape of social media data access for academic researchers and adds practical recommendations for addressing current challenges. It traces three distinct eras of platform data availability, from the initial “wild west” period of open developer APIs to the current emergence of regulated access frameworks under the European Union’s Digital Services Act. The chapter provides a systematic overview of contemporary data access pathways organized into three categories: collaborating with platforms through research APIs and formal partnerships, sharing data through colleagues and user donations, and repurposing existing interfaces through techniques like web scraping. It critically evaluates the practical, legal, ethical, and technical considerations researchers must navigate when planning social media studies, highlighting how restrictive vetting processes, uncertain legal frameworks, and stringent security requirements have fundamentally transformed research design. The chapter argues that while the trend toward complete closure may be reversing, increased complexity now requires researchers to consider data access as a central component of project planning rather than an afterthought, with significant implications for who can conduct research and what questions can be investigated.