Internet Communication and Qualitative Research: A Handbook for Researching Online

by Chris Mann, Fiona Stewart

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

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

This is the disambiguation profile for otherwise unseparated authors publishing as Chris Mann

For the military historian, see Chris Mann

Reviews

[Shonell Bacon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good history of CMC pre-2000. There is no mention of blogs, of websites (too much), of video or of audio, so I found myself reading the book yet saying after every paragraph, "Yet, but in 2011, we can now..." As for a dissertation reading list read, it did give me the history, it did articulate some of disadvantages of CMC (many of those arguments now seem outdated), but some of them are still discussed in current research...