Free, open, and collaborative: An illustrative toolkit for qualitative research using social media

Abstract

Qualitative research is a robust method of scientific inquiry, which requires a systematic approach to data collection, management, and analysis. Although specialized software is commonly used (e.g., NVivo, Atlas) in this field, general-purpose software (e.g., Word and Excel) can be equally powerful and, in fact, more effective because they increase transparency, which facilitates the replicability of results. Although there is no commonly accepted definition, social media is typically associated with web-based software that facilitates openness, collaboration, participatory information sharing, and interoperability. Blogs, wikis, and video-sharing sites are most often regarded as "traditional" social media; however, there is a larger domain of cloud-based software (e.g., Google Documents) that are free, collaborative, and extremely powerful for qualitative research. Within a framework of social constructivist epistemology, which views categories of knowledge and reality as being actively created by social relationships and interactions, a Technology-Enabled Knowledge Translation Investigative Centre (TEKTIC)-funded project entitled " How do Chinese immigrants retrieve and access online health-related information? " was used to illustrate a social media-based qualitative research toolkit. Some of the tools discussed include: Google Docs, Google Forms, Google Drawings, Google Refine, EtherPad, and Wordle.