Methodological challenges and lessons learned – deconstructing studies of social reality

Abstract

Taking as point of departure three recently conducted empirical studies, the aim of this article is to theoretically and empirically discuss methodological challenges studying the interrelations between media and social reality and to critically reflect on the methodologies used in the studies. By deconstructing the studies, the article draws attention to the fact that different methods are able to grasp different elements of social reality. Moreover, by analysing the power relations at play, the article demonstrated that the interplay between interviewer and interviewee, and how both parties fit into present power structures, greatly influence the narratives that are co-produced during interviews. The article thus concludes that in order to fully understand complex phenomena it is not just enough to use a mixture of methods, the makeup of the research team is also imperative, as a diverse team are better equipped to gather a diversity of stories.

Guidelines for Facilitating User-Centric Product and Service Development in an Open Innovation Environment

“…In qualitative research, the benefits of the case study approach have been recognized in different fields [33], [34], [35], [36], [37], [38], [39], [40]. Yin [34], [35] defines the case study as "an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident and in which multiple sources of evidence are used".…”