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Ethical Dilemmas Using Social Media in Qualitative Social Research: A Case Study of Online Participant Observation

Author

Listed:
  • Kath Hennell

    (Liverpool Hope University, UK)

  • Mark Limmer

    (Lancaster University, UK)

  • Maria Piacentini

    (Lancaster University, UK)

Abstract

Social media platforms that enable users to create and share online content with others are used increasingly in social research. This article explores the complex ethical issues associated with using social media for data collection, drawing on a study of the alcohol consumption practices of young people. It aims to contribute to debates about the practical and ethical challenges facing researchers using social media as a data collection tool, and to demonstrate how a reflexive approach to the research and the context in which the research takes place is critically important for supporting and enabling an ethical approach. The article concludes by recommending that researchers who face ethical dilemmas associated with the use of social media maintain an ongoing dialogue with their relevant ethics committees and other researchers to identify potential solutions and to share their findings.

Suggested Citation

  • Kath Hennell & Mark Limmer & Maria Piacentini, 2020. "Ethical Dilemmas Using Social Media in Qualitative Social Research: A Case Study of Online Participant Observation," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 25(3), pages 473-489, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:socres:v:25:y:2020:i:3:p:473-489
    DOI: 10.1177/1360780419888933
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    Cited by:

    1. Natalie-Anne Hall, 2022. "Understanding Brexit on Facebook: Developing Close-up, Qualitative Methodologies for Social Media Research," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 27(3), pages 707-723, September.
    2. Musa Mohammed & Nasir Shafiq & Al-Baraa Abdulrahman Al-Mekhlafi & Amin Al-Fakih & Noor Amila Zawawi & Abdeliazim Mustafa Mohamed & Rana Khallaf & Hussein Mohammed Abualrejal & Abdulkadir Adamu Shehu &, 2022. "Beneficial Effects of 3D BIM for Pre-Empting Waste during the Planning and Design Stage of Building and Waste Reduction Strategies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-22, March.
    3. Hélder Raposo & Sara Melo & Catarina Egreja, 2022. "Data Protection in Sociological Health Research: A Critical Narrative about the Challenges of a New Regulatory Landscape," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 27(4), pages 1060-1076, December.
    4. Guccini, Federica & McKinley, Gerald, 2022. "“How deep do I have to cut?“: Non-suicidal self-injury and imagined communities of practice on Tumblr," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 296(C).

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