Purpose

As society becomes ever more reliant on Internet technology for everyday communications, this paper explores the use of instant messaging (IM) in qualitative research. Discussed within the context of sensitive topic research with potentially hidden and hard-to-reach groups, the purpose of this paper is to discuss the value of adaptive and contemporary research approaches which facilitate participation on the terms of the participant.

Design/methodology/approach

Reflecting on the data collection process from the primary authors’ PhD research, this paper critically considers some of the issues raised by IM-facilitated at semi-structured interviews.

Findings

This paper raises a number of issues, including how the perceived depth of participant response is influenced by their brevity, resultant of the space between parties which allows for considered and concise communication. This disconnect, created by the use of technology, also has implications for the power relations between researcher and participant and the ability to identify the non-verbal cues which communicate emotion and sentiment.

Originality/value

This paper highlights that whilst limited in some respects, an IM-facilitated interview provides a unique platform through which hidden and hard-to-reach groups may be empowered to participate in research, which they may usually avoid.

中文翻译：

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即时消息传递：一种促进难以到达的群体参与敏感主题研究的新颖方法

目的

随着社会越来越依赖Internet技术进行日常通信，本文探索了定性研究中即时消息（IM）的使用。在与潜在的隐藏且难以到达的群体进行的敏感主题研究的背景下进行讨论，本文的目的是讨论以参与者的名义促进参与的适应性和当代研究方法的价值。

设计/方法/方法

通过对主要作者的博士研究的数据收集过程进行反思，本文认真地考虑了即时消息主持人在半结构化访谈中提出的一些问题。

发现

本文提出了许多问题，包括参与者响应的感知深度如何受到他们的简短程度的影响，以及各方之间的空间所产生的空间，从而可以进行考虑周密和简洁的沟通。通过使用技术造成的这种脱节，也对研究人员和参与者之间的权力关系以及识别传达情感和情感的非语言线索的能力产生了影响。

创意/价值

本文着重指出，由IM主持的访谈虽然在某些方面受到限制，但它提供了一个独特的平台，通过该平台，可以授权隐藏和难以到达的群体参与研究，而他们通常可以避免这样做。