4CAT

4CAT is a tool that can be used to analyse and process data from forum-like platforms (such as Reddit, 4chan, Twitter, and Telegram) for research purposes. It provides a suite of modules through which discourse on forums may be analyzed and processed. The goal is to provide a straightforward aid for *chan and forum research, through which such platforms – often described as amorphous, volatile, or ephemeral – may be investigated from various epistemological perspectives.

This tool requires server installation.

• 4CAT has its own website at https://4cat.nl.
• Code and installation instructions are available on GitHub.
• This video playlist collects tutorial videos for 4CAT.

DMI-TCAT

The Digital Methods Initiative Twitter Capture and Analysis Toolset (DMI-TCAT) allows one to retrieve and collect tweets from Twitter and to analyze them in various ways.

This tool requires server installation.

• Code and installation instructions are available on github.
• Frequently Asked Questions are addressed here.
• This video playlist collects several instruction videos for different use cases.

YouTube Data Tools

A collection of simple tools for extracting data from the YouTube platform via YouTube’s API. Modules include video list compilation, channel and video networks, and comment extraction.

• A running version can be used here.
• Source code and instructions for running your own instance are on github.
• Frequently Asked Questions are addressed here.
• This introductory video provides an overview of most features and how to use them.