A communication researcher has developed a framework for measuring the slippery concept of social media public opinion. Murmuration identifies meaningful groups of social media actors based on the 'who-follows-whom' relationship. The actors attract like-minded followers to form 'flocks,' which serve as the units of analysis. As opinions form and shift in response to external events, the flocks' unfolding opinions move like the fluid murmuration of airborne starlings.
