Social Media and Big Data

Abstract

Big data is the colloquial term for information that is gathered into large data sets and then analyzed in order to determine patterns and trends. Big data utilizes various algorithms built around volume, velocity, and variety that are used by companies such as Cambridge Analytics and Google. Data is sourced from search engines, social media, stock exchanges, and black boxes like those seen in airplanes. Many industries such as governments, social media, health care, and finance analyze big data for their use. Our research will focus on the use of big data in social media marketing. Social media is an ingrained part of many people’s lives and provides prime real estate for companies to find a target audience for their products. We will focus on algorithms used by companies advertising on social media and how they predict spending and browsing habits.