The Methodological Benefits of Social Media:“Studying up” in Brazil in the Facebook Age
Date
2015-09
Authors
Straubhaar, Rolf
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Abstract
While conducting research on the organizational cultures of elite nonprofit organizations in Rio de Janeiro, the author encountered many access issues identified in the current literature: in particular, difficulty in encountering research subjects due to the transitional nature of educational nonprofits and the role of secretaries and administrators as gatekeepers. This article explores two previously undeveloped methodological innovations utilized by the author to overcome these difficulties with regard to access: namely, the use of social media as a participant recruitment tool and the use of an organization's online marketing presence as an alternative data source.
Description
Keywords
social media, participant recruitment, access issues, elites
Citation
Straubhaar, R. (2015). The methodological benefits of social media: "Studying up" in Brazil in the Facebook age. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 28(9), pp. 1081-1096.