MIS 2502
MIS 2502 Professional Achievement Point Project: Sentiment Analysis
Sentiment analysis is the process of determining the tone behind strings of words, such as YouTube comments or tweets, to gain insights of online opinions (Bannister, 2015). It provides organizations with a way to quantify qualitative data (Stanley, 2017). Sentiment analysis can help an organization determine if consumers’ attitude toward them is positive or negative (Bannister, 2015). The simplest form of sentiment analysis uses a list of “positive” and “negative” and match words from the desired text to the words provided in the “positive” and “negative” lists. R and Excel are two programs we learned about in MIS 2502 that can be used to conduct a sentiment analysis. The Excel method utilizes the vlookup function that we used previously in the class. More advanced forms of sentiment analysis, such as voice sentiment analysis, factor in voice inflection and rate of speech to gain a more detailed understanding of consumer opinions. This is often used in call centers to evaluate the quality of the customer support staff (Stanley, 2017).
Sentiment analysis is often used by companies and political organizations to determine consumer opinions on advertisements and social media activities. Results from a sentiment analysis can help an organization determine if they want to continue, change, or stop an activity that receives many negative sentiments (Bannister, 2015). Sentiment analysis was used heavily in the 2012 presidential election by both Obama and Romney’s campaigns. Results from the analysis can show the campaign team which social media strategies and topics result in the best sentiments from voters. The teams can then adjust their campaign strategies in order to maximize their positive sentiments (Rani, 2012). Sentiment analysis helps organizations understand how consumers feel about their brand and provides them with information on how to adjust their social media content to appeal to a wider audience.
Sources
Bannister, Kristian. (2015, January 26). Understanding Sentiment Analysis: What It Is & Why It’s Used. Retrieved from: https://www.brandwatch.com/blog/understanding-sentiment-analysis/
Molla, Rani. (2012, October 24). How Social Media Sentiment Impacts the Presidential Campaigns. Retrieved from: https://contently.com/strategist/2012/10/24/social-media-sentiment-becomes-factor-in-presidential-campaigns/
Stanley, Robert. (2017, March 16). What is Sentiment Analysis? Examples, Best Practices, & More. Retrieved from: https://callminer.com/blog/sentiment-analysis-examples-best-practices/