Researchers at Stony Brook University have developed the largest database for studying career identity using social media biographies. Their study, which analyzed self-authored biographies of over 51 million English-language Twitter users over six years, was detailed in a paper titled "The Evolution of Occupational Identity in Twitter Biographies." This paper was accepted by the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) in 2024.
The research team included PhD students Xingzhi Guo and Dakota Handzlik, Distinguished Teaching Professor Steven Skiena from the Department of Computer Science, and Jason J. Jones from Stony Brook’s Department of Sociology. They identified 435 million changes in user biographies between February 2015 and July 2021, many reflecting updates to job titles. The researchers also incorporated data on job prevalence and prestige into their analysis.
Professor Skiena highlighted the importance of work in shaping identity: “Work is an essential part of our daily lives. It significantly contributes to our sense of identity and how we behave around others.” He noted that different professions could influence personality traits, such as a business owner having a different demeanor than a school teacher.
This extensive dataset offers potential applications for organizations seeking to leverage social approval mechanisms, enhance job prestige, increase social recognition, and celebrate employees effectively. Additionally, it may reduce reliance on scraping private resumes from social networks while addressing ethical and privacy concerns.
The full story by Ankita Nagpal can be found on the AI Innovation Institute website.