Clues for the Paradigmatic Development of Online Qualitative Methods

Abstract

Objective: in this paper, we problematize how online methods were reduced to mere adaptations from previous data collection techniques, and then discuss how some of the idiosyncratic properties of the online scope may drive the development of future, paradigmatic, online qualitative methods. Proposition: we identified five clues for the paradigmatic development of online qualitative methods: (1) the new socialities allowed by online interactions; (2) the processes involved in asserting identities and selves online; (3) the increasing difficulty in distinguishing what is private and what is public online, and what does privacy mean in this context; (4) the increase of participants’ agency in online qualitative research; and (5) the declining distinction between offline and online social phenomena. Conclusion: by using ontological and epistemological assumptions that do not consider the specificities of online experiences, and by focusing excessively on adapting known methods to the new settings, we researchers are bound to conceive the online experience and operate in it using offline categories. This way, we might be missing the opportunity to develop native, paradigmatic, online qualitative methods that, ultimately, would allow for a better understanding of the phenomena we investigate.

Introduction to the Special Issue Call for Qualitative Research Tutorials in Contemporary Administration Studies: An Editorial

“…One such area is how social life and social interactions are emerging and evolving within the online sphere. While Deus et al (2022) examine one particular new form in detail -that of memes as new cultural texts, Melo and Dourado (2022) seek to discern and elaborate the particular nature of online social interactions and their implications for designing appropriate qualitative methods to examine them. Another area is a concern with social justice, and particularly how subaltern voices and experiences can not only be recognized and heard, but also enabled to challenge dominant voices, practices, and epistemologies.…”

“…The method of interactive qualitative analysis seeks not to create theory to explain participant experience, but to uncover 'theories in action' that inform and guide how a group makes sense of a particular phenomenon, and thus can also help challenge the status quo supported by existing theories in any given area of knowledge. Similarly, Melo and Dourado (2022)also reflect on how the nature of online social interactions might also encourage more collaborative forms of research. They note in particular how the online sphere supports the democratization of research practices by blurring certain boundaries between researcher and researched, for example because the researched are now also able to research the researchers' online profile and their digital and social media footprint, and because both parties meet and converse in a shared online space.…”

“…One common question is how we might know better. All the papers are concerned, to some extent, with widening perspectives of any management, organizational, or social phenomenon: by seeking out and including subaltern voices (Melo & Dourado, 2022;Silva, Sauerbronn, & Thiollent, 2022) and marginalized ideologies (Deus, Campos, & Rocha, 2022), developing dialogues and collaborative approaches with research participants (Cheron et al, 2022;Melo & Dourado, 2022;Silva et al, 2022), uncovering and surfacing endogenous theories in use by participants themselves (Silva et al, 2022), reflecting multiple and diverse perspectives (Deus et al, 2022), or capturing and tracking social attitudes over time (Deus et al, 2022). A second question is what we might study better, or how we might expand topics of interest and relevance for management and organization studies.…”

“…Silva et al (2022), for example, argue that by taking a decolonial, non-extractive, and participatory approach, research into accounting can extend beyond 'control of profitability for shareholders' (Silva et al, 2022) into various forms of societal concerns and demands, such as environmental impact, gender and racial violence, and human rights. Melo and Dourado (2022) argue that the process of working out how best to research 'online as a full form of human life' also leads to developing new insights into the full nature of that form of life, and to knowing the world in ways that cannot currently be envisaged.…”

“…This paper byMelo and Dourado (2022) discusses how the idiosyncratic properties of the online context might drive the development of future online qualitative methods. The authors problematize how online methods have been reduced to mere adaptations of previous data collection techniques and identify possible ingredients of novel online qualitative methods and techniques.…”