Content analysis is a research method used to analyze written, spoken or observed communication. It’s a systematic way of breaking down, evaluating and interpreting the content of a message.
There are three main goals of content analysis:
1. To describe communication content quantitatively
2. To interpret the meaning of the communication
3. To compare different types of content
There are endless potential applications for content analysis, but some common examples include studying media messages to understand social trends, analyzing marketing campaigns to gauge customer sentiment and measuring employee communications to improve organizational culture.
At its core, content analysis is about understanding how people communicate with each other and what that says about them. It’s a powerful tool for uncovering hidden meanings and patterns in communication.