Open AccessFrom Computer to Commuter: Considerations for the Use of Social Networking Sites for Participant Recruitment
Author(s) -
Lily E. Hirsch,
Kirrilly Thompson,
Danielle Every
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the qualitative report
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2160-3715
DOI - 10.46743/2160-3715/2014.1279
Subject(s) - the internet , participant observation , online and offline , process (computing) , online research methods , data collection , qualitative research , psychology , online discussion , sociology , internet privacy , public relations , world wide web , medical education , applied psychology , computer science , social science , political science , medicine , operating system
The rise in use and changing nature of the Internet has led to an increase in the number of people using discussion forums and social networking sites for the purpose of online social interaction, sharing experiences, and learning. Whilst researchers have begun to capitalize on the increasing pool of online participants for research online, very few studies have examined the benefits of online participant recruitment for offline data collection. Through the format of a ‘back stage’ essay, this paper follows the research process of participant recruitment using a social networking site to arrange offline interviews with local rail users in Mumbai and Chennai, India. This paper contributes to the literature about the methodological issues associated with ensuring authenticity of online-recruited research participants. It also builds on the existing literature about incorporating researcher safety into the method.