Internet Communication and Qualitative Research: A Handbook for Researching Online

by Chris Mann, Fiona Stewart

Overview

Communication and Qualitative Research is the first textbook to examine the impact of Internet technology on qualitative research methods. Drawing on many pioneering studies using computer-mediated communication (CMC), the authors show how online researchers can employ Internet-based qualitative methods to collect rich, descriptive, contextually-situated data. They discuss the methodological, practical and theoretical considerations associated with such methods as in-depth online interviewing, virtual focus groups, and participant observation in virtual communities. This is a comprehensive and practical guide that:

• Reviews online research practice and basic Internet technology
• Looks in detail at the skills required by the online researcher
• Examines the ethical, confidentiality, security, and legal issues involved in online research
• Considers the theoretical challenges surrounding data collected in a "virtual venue"
• Addresses the social and cultural impact of researching online through a discussion of power, gender, and identity issues in the virtual world

Internet Communication and Qualitative Research will be an indispensable guide for all students and researchers working in the digital age.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761966272
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	09/05/2000
Series:	New Technologies for Social Research series
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.57(d)

About the Author

Chris Mann is a Senior Research Associate in the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Cambridge. Her pioneering work on methodological and ethical issues in doing Internet-research underpinned her research at the OII.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Practicalities of Using CMC
An Ethical Framework
Introducing Online Methods
Online Focus Groups
The Online Interviewer
Power Issues in Internet Research
Language Mode and Analysis
Virtuality and Data
Future Directions

Editorial Reviews

‘Internet Communication and Qualitative Research is a trailblazing

introduction to data sources that will come to the fore in the new

millennium. Its cogent discussion of the techniques, ethics and methods of

analysis of Internet data should be read by every qualitative researcher' - David Silverman, Goldsmiths' College

‘Mann and Stewart have prized open the mysteries of online qualitative research.

For those new to this methodology the technology review demystifies; the social

science research ethics issues are re-addressed with reference to the online

situation; methods of conducting online focus groups and interviews, in

particular, are detailed. The tone is both analytical and practical with a host

of techniques suggested. I recommend this accessible text for all qualitative

researchers, both academic and practitioner' - Rehan Ul-Haq, University of Birmingham Business School

From the Publisher

"The internet is exploding with possibilities for conducting social research. Mann and Stewart offer the first in-depth consideration of the prospects and potentially for doing qualitative research on-line. This wide ranging, clearly-written book is essential reading for researchers working at the cutting edge of qualitative methodology."

James Holstein

"Opens to view a whole new avenue for social research. Internet communication is the wave of the future. Mann and Stewart capture its potential with insight, caution, and consummate procedural skill. Pathbreaking in its area of research methodology! Students and researchers will be very pleased with its clarity and usefulness."

Jaber Gubrium