Social Media Topics APILook beyond the repeated hashtag.

Define the collection before counting topics

Write down which sources, languages, time windows, and collection methods your dataset covers. A count only describes the material you observed. It should not quietly become a claim about all users, an entire platform, or public opinion.

Keep a record of missing or unavailable content when that affects interpretation. A change in collection coverage can produce a change in topic counts even when the underlying discussion has not changed in the same way.

Distinguish duplicates from shared subjects

Identical reposts, lightly edited copies, and original posts about the same event are different relationships. Decide whether the workflow counts individual posts, unique texts, or clusters. Preserve the original records even when the display groups them.

A repeated phrase can be evidence of copying without proving coordination or intent. Keep the classification close to what the data supports. Topic grouping should help a reader inspect the material, not attribute motives that the record cannot establish.

Classify with the context available

A hashtag may be ironic, unrelated, or too broad to explain a post. Use surrounding text and linked context only when you have appropriate access and a clear reason to include it. Mark the limits when the available text is insufficient.

Separate topic, sentiment, and stance into different tasks. A post about a policy is not necessarily favorable or unfavorable toward it. Avoid inferring a person’s political belief or sensitive identity from a broad content label.

Make trend summaries auditable

If you display a topic’s change over time, retain the denominator, window, and deduplication policy used for each measurement. Compare like with like. A large increase from a tiny baseline can be less informative than the headline suggests.

Respect the conditions under which the underlying material can be used, retained, and displayed. Topic metadata does not automatically remove obligations attached to source content. Keep deletion and correction handling connected to the records that depend on that content.

An illustrative record

This example highlights fields worth discussing when you design your own contract. Define their meanings, allowed values, and review rules before an application relies on them.

{
  "topic_id": "publishing.community",
  "observation_window": "example-window",
  "collection_scope": "permitted sample",
  "count_unit": "unique_texts",
  "deduplication_policy": "example-v1"
}

Illustrative schema and example values; adapt them to your data and review process.

Questions about Social Media Topics API