Reimagining the Interview: Adapting Qualitative Methods

to the Digital Realm

Mary Chayko, Ph. D.School of Communication & InformationRutgers Universitymarychayko.comTwitter: @MaryChayko

My research Three books on digital social connectedness – Connecting: How We Form Social

Bonds and Communities in the Internet Age and Portable Communities: The Social Dynamics of Online and Mobile Connectedness (both, SUNY Press), Superconnected: The Internet, Digital Media, and Techno-Social Life (Sage Publications, March 2016)

Research questions and methodology for Connecting: How are relationships at a distance formed and maintained? By which mechanisms and with what effects? Conducted 50 face-to-face interviews and 143 online surveys

Research questions and methodology for Portable Communities: How does technological portability and mobility influence the nature of the social connections and groupings that are formed and maintained online? What are the social dynamics of these groupings? Conducted 87 open-ended, ongoing, electronic interviews

All my methods are qualitative, illustrative of social forms but not generalizable to a population

@MaryChayko

@MaryChayko

Methodology Drew “snowball” strategic informant sample of 87

interviewees(individuals who enjoyed used portable, mobile technology and

might be inclined to discuss via email) Explained process and obtained informed consent via email Conducted email interviews over period of two years Maximum confidentiality ensured by assigning interviews

numbers and using pseudonyms for individuals and groups in all analyses

With student assistant, coded completed interviews for presence and absence of salient criteria: e.g. emotion, intimacy, fun, playfulness, sociability, practicality

Excerpts from interviews that best illustrate emergent themes were selected for inclusion in book@MaryChayko

The electronic interviews Sent six multi-part, open-ended initial questions exploring the experience of online,

digital technology use Requested demographic info: gender, race, age, occupation Sent follow-up questions over period of two years; added more as new topics emerged

(i.e. boredom; hanging out online; micro-coordination of activities; migration of relationships from online to offline; use of blogs and social media for community and self-expression)

No script; interviews were semi-structured and each proceeded in their own way Most lengthy, multipage, would correspond to several hours of a face-to-face interview,

highly personal

@MaryChayko

Advantages/Strengths Reduced time and cost Convenience; automatic transcription Reduced importance of geographic location and time

synchronization/scheduling issues Possibility of sampling diversity Large amounts of data can be accumulated quickly Allowance for thorough and reflective follow-ups Limited danger or discomfort to subject and researcher Ability to continue over time until interview reaches

natural conclusion

@MaryChayko

Disadvantages/Limitations Difficulty in validating respondents’ identities Lack of in-person cues can hinder transmission of

understandings Less spontaneous and flows differently than the face-to-

face interviews with which all may be more familiar Privacy/confidentiality of digital data Difficulty of some to share easily digitally or via text May dissuade those who may prefer face-to-face means

of interviewing and are suspicious of the digital

@MaryChayko

Key take-aways Ease and convenience made the experience speedy,

efficient, thought-provoking, fun Wealth of usable data procured Provided rich, memorable illustration for theories and ideas Prompted new research directions and findings Provided interviewees with validation for their experiences Complements the quantitative approach so often taken in

digital (and other sociological) inquiry

Thank You! mary.chayko@rutgers.edu . marychayko.com . @MaryChayko