Using an internet forum for Social Research

**Vuk** · 02-12-2009, 19:30

lol, I am just demonstrating how absurd using an internet forum for Social Research is. I was told by my professor that it was a valid option, but I would have to discuss the weakness of that type of research in the methods section. I just thought that it was pretty absurd. :P

**CountArach** · 02-13-2009, 01:44

It might also be pointed out that you would be drawing false conclusions from your data - there is no reason to believe that your job determines the food you like.

**LittleGrizzly** · 02-13-2009, 01:59

"This data was gathered on an internet forum on which it is possible for a single person to create multiple accounts (and therefore vote multiple times) as well as for bots to register and vote.

If you put it somewhere like the backroom then there is a very limited possibility of that... though a member with multiple accounts could vote twice, anyone who has two active accounts probably uses them for a much better reason then screwing with jobs linking to paticular foods polls....

It is also impossible to know if the information given is accurate or not, or if the people are really who they say they are.

Probably the best criticism of the method, there would be very little reason to lie on the what foods you like, the only reason to lie would be for pure fun... so most would probably give honest answers...

The profession one there is an excuse to lie, make yourself look good, why be a binman when you can be a lawyer, my counter point though is that, we have a fairly mature community so lieing is slightly less likely... alot of people who do work crap jobs are proud that they work so hard... and lastly alot of .org members who have been here a bit will have likely dropped hints or outright told people what thier occupation is, so would not be eager to potentially be branded a liar...

It might also be pointed out that you would be drawing false conclusions from your data - there is no reason to believe that your job determines the food you like.

Going to have to disagree here, atheletes are attracted to healthy food, so would probably come out as having preferences for healthy foods, if we further specify atheletes are likely to eat certain foods depending on thier sport, a wieght lifter and a marathon runner, the weight lifter would have similar diet preferences to other wieght lifters... but probably a little different to the marathon runner... whose diet is much more similar to the other marathon runners...

Then we could get onto people with busy hectic jobs with long hours having preferences for fast easy food... ect.

**CountArach** · 02-13-2009, 02:16

Originally Posted by LittleGrizzly

It might also be pointed out that you would be drawing false conclusions from your data - there is no reason to believe that your job determines the food you like.

Going to have to disagree here, atheletes are attracted to healthy food, so would probably come out as having preferences for healthy foods, if we further specify atheletes are likely to eat certain foods depending on thier sport, a wieght lifter and a marathon runner, the weight lifter would have similar diet preferences to other wieght lifters... but probably a little different to the marathon runner... whose diet is much more similar to the other marathon runners...

Then we could get onto people with busy hectic jobs with long hours having preferences for fast easy food... ect.

There are always exceptions.

**LittleGrizzly** · 02-13-2009, 02:26

There are always exceptions.

Well i think you can find a decent amount of correlation to go between food and jobs, on top of what i already said, a person with a really good job would much more likely eat delicacys and luxurys, a person with a crap job thats hard work will want something cheap and quick...

Its not a huge correlation but more than an exception to the rule i think, someone well read on this type of thing could probably make a rough guess at the type of job someone has by looking at thier diet. the wieghtlifter giving himself away with his muscle foods, the ceo exposing himself via his luxury coorporate lunches including all kinds of delicacys, the factory worker who can't be bothered to do much more than stick something in the microwave or grab a burger on the way home... not a huge correlation but a fairly decent one...

**A Terribly Harmful Name** · 02-13-2009, 03:15

Ah, statistics statistics! All of them are useless.

**LittleGrizzly** · 02-13-2009, 03:41

There are 3 kinds of lie's, Lies, Damned lies... and statistics!

Did you know 43% of all statistics are made up on the spot...

**CountArach** · 02-13-2009, 06:15

Originally Posted by LittleGrizzly

There are always exceptions.

Well i think you can find a decent amount of correlation to go between food and jobs, on top of what i already said, a person with a really good job would much more likely eat delicacys and luxurys, a person with a crap job thats hard work will want something cheap and quick...

Its not a huge correlation but more than an exception to the rule i think, someone well read on this type of thing could probably make a rough guess at the type of job someone has by looking at thier diet. the wieghtlifter giving himself away with his muscle foods, the ceo exposing himself via his luxury coorporate lunches including all kinds of delicacys, the factory worker who can't be bothered to do much more than stick something in the microwave or grab a burger on the way home... not a huge correlation but a fairly decent one...

Well of course there would be a level of socio-economic bias in the data. At the same time though I would contest that it is a direct result of the job someone does, but rather it is more a factor of the corresponding pay rates. Further, there is no denying that many of those in the lower socio-economic barriers would enjoy lobster and may have had it once - thus proving to be statistical anomalies.

Then we must also look at the inter-relation between race and socio-economic factors in determining food. For example many minority groups play into lower classes and as such there might be a strong leaning towards those food types in determining favourite foods.

This data sample could go on forever... now I am actually interested.

**seireikhaan** · 02-13-2009, 06:16

CA- the whole point of statistics is to create generalities. No statistic is perfect, but they can be very helpful, so long as those in need of them use them properly.