DATA MINING AND TWITTER By Kylie Wyman
DATA MINING AND TWITTER
By Kylie Wyman
WHAT IS DATA MINING?
Data mining is the practice of searching through,
and collecting, large amounts of data in order to find
useful patterns or trends. One of the sole purposes
of data mining is to discover relationships within the
data that is found on different databases.
In 2013, Twitter sold data of users for $47.5 million to companies that
“analyze the data for insights into news events and trends.” (Dwoskin, 2013)
Companies pay Twitter for access to torrent of tweets from the service’s
215 million monthly active users. (Luckerson, 2013)
Companies such as DirecTV use Twitter data in order to spot power outages
based on customer complaints. (Dwoskin, 2013)
Twitter has minimized the amount of data that outside firms are allowed to
pull from its system free of charge.
The Red Cross USED Twitter after Hurricane Sandy to pinpoint where aid
was needed the most.
WHY DO COMPANIES USE DATA MINING?
Companies/Websites use data mining in order to
collect data from people who visit their sites.
Companies aggregate data in order to determine
how a product will do in the market, or come up with
new advertising campaigns
HOW DO THEY DO IT?
Description and Prediction
Anomaly detection - What data trends look like in a typical case.
Stats are used to determine if something is notably different.
Association learning: Seeing what users buy online and making
suggestions for future purchases. (IE: Buying a book on Amazon and
having the website suggest an author next time you make a
purchase).
Cluster detection: Recognizing distinct clusters or sub-categories
within data. (IE: Classifying Internet users into groups.)
Classification: Adds more information to categories.
PROTECTING YOURSELF FROM DATA MINING
Never provide more information than what is required by the
retailer when making an online purchase.
Seek out websites that show you how to maximize your privacy
settings.
Use browser plug-ins, proxy servers, or pay services that hide your
computer’s individual IP address.
Adjust the privacy settings on your Internet browser to block third-
party “cookies”
(Your Life In Pixels, 2013)
REFERENCES
Dwoskin, E. (October, 2013 7). Twitter's data business proves lucrative. Retrieved on Dec 1,
2013 from http://
online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304441404579118531954483974
Furnas, David. The Atlantic, (2012). Everything You Wanted to Know About Data Mining but
Were Afraid to Ask. Retrieved from Dec 1, 2013 http://
www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/04/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-data-
mining-but-were-afraid-to-ask/255388
Green, A. (JUNE, 2012). Twitter API programming tips, tutorials, source code libraries and
consulting. Retrieved from Dec 2, 2013 http://
140dev.com/twitter-api-programming-blog/category/data-mining-tweets/
Luckerson, V. (October, 8 2013). Twitter is selling access to your tweets for millions read
more: Twitter is selling access to your tweets for millions Retrieved from
http://business.time.com/2013/10/08/twitter-is-selling-access-to-your-tweets-for-millions/
Data mining, 2013. In Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved Dec 5, 2013 from
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/data%20mining
REFERENCES
Meyer, David. CNN, (2013). A Plan to Mix Privacy into Data Mining. Retrieved Dec 1, 2013
from http://money.cnn.com/2013/10/28/smallbusiness/data-mining/
Mims, C. (October, 13 2010). How to use twitter for personal data mining. Retrieved Nov
29, 2013 from http://www.technologyreview.com/view/421201/how-to-use-twitter-for-
personal-data-mining/
Waxer, C. (October, 2013 28). How data mining can boost your revenue by 300%. Retrieved
Nov 28, 2013 from http://money.cnn.com/2013/10/28/smallbusiness/data-mining/
“Your Life in Pixels.” (May, 2012 7). Retrieved Dec 3, 2013 from http://www.aarp.org/home-
family/personal-technology/info-05-2012/video-data-mining-internet-privacy-ines.html