To decide what qualifies as menstrual content, I refer to the educational standards outlined by Jones and Baldwin (see Signal page) and the DC 2016 Menstrual Health Education Standards. I deduce these standards into keywords and phrases to look for in influencer content. I then sort these keywords into topics, and the topics into grade levels.

Personal Bias: Something I notice as I go through my data collection process is personal bias. Sometimes I may think content meets an educational standard, because I already have a basic understanding of menstruation. Each piece of content can be interpreted differently, and as a result, they may educate some but not others.

Cultural Perceptions/Nationality: Some of the influencers in my study were not born and raised in America. Menstruation is viewed differently in cultures around the world, so the diversity of my sample complicates my research. I decided to include influencers of non-American nationalities for one main reason: America is a country built upon diversity. People of different descent are in almost every American state, city, neighborhood, and school. If young girls and women see influencers who reflect their heritage, menstrual content may feel more relatable.

Looking Forward: As I continue my research, I plan to spend more time in the evaluating step of data collection. In other words, I will assess if a piece content meets an educational standard effectively. This could look like completing one influencer's initial evaluation, then coming back to it after completing a different influencer's evaluation. This way, I can be more cutthroat in my data collection process.