There is no doubt behind the thought that social media is changing the world of writing. We all find use of social media accounts such as twitter and instagram in simple ways. When you think of how most people use these networks it's usually as a fun way to connect with friends and peers, etc. Although now some writers are using social media in a different way, not just simply for their writing.
Nick Bilton of the New York Times wrote a book titled, Hatching Twitter. When he was writing this book he didn't just research Twitter, he used Twitter for research. Bilton scraped data from thousands of emails, Twitter handles, Flickr and Instagram photos to cross reference background information, fact check his off-the-record sources, and to find the crucial little telling details that make the book read an intimate insider account (wnyc). For example, he would use a tweet to learn when someone’s meeting happened and their Instagram photo to see the coffee shop where it took place (wnyc).
This is one of the first times we have seen a writer use a big social data investigation to write nonfiction storytelling. Him being able to successfully reference all his social media evidence with more social media is a remarkable way for him as a writer to gain knowledge. It makes you think how powerful social media can be. He took social media news and referenced it just like we would reference any normal news but he went out and got it through other social medias. It does seem rather tedious but it worked for Nick Bilton, and don't be surprised when it starts to work for many more.