Trying to re-focus the blurred lines between researchers and participants in social media research

The methodological opportunities offered by new technologies, including social

media, go beyond just transferring traditional research approaches to the digital

environment. However, with the increase in diverse methods facilitated by the

advent and adoption of digital technology come new ethical questions for

researchers. This paper recognises the impact of digital media on consumer and

citizen behaviour and explores the blurred lines between the participant and the

researcher in order to suggest a way forward for researchers. This blurring can be

illustrated in the several ways. First, social media research may often start with a

group such as an online community and then drill down to individual behaviours

within that group so there exists an overlap of group and individual relationships.

Second, the creation, augmenting and sharing of information between individuals and

groups can smudge the edges of the original sampling frame. Third the increasing use

of online participants to co-create or co-produce research instruments necessitates

the question whether these individuals are being exploited. Fourth social media

enables the accessing of new and 'hard to reach groups' who may have preferred to

remain invisible. Fifth, the dilemma faced by researchers whether to identify

themselves or lurk to prevent community de-stabilisation remains contentious. As

clear strategies for the expected research norms within the social sciences domain

have yet to be established for social media research, this paper contributes to

moving the debate forward through deepening understanding of the questions that

researchers need to consider when designing and implementing social media

research.