The power of qualitative research in the era of social media

Author:

Branthwaite Alan,Patterson Simon

Abstract

PurposeThe electronic social media such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc. have become a major form of communication, and the expression of attitudes and opinions, for the general public. Recently, they have also become a source of data for market researchers. This paper aims to provide a critical look at the advantages and limitations of such an approach to understanding brand perceptions and attitudes in the market place. Although the social media provide a wealth of data for automated content analyses, this review questions the validity and reliability of this research approach, and concludes that social media monitoring (SMM) is a poor substitute for in‐depth qualitative research which has many advantages and benefits.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents a detailed, systematic comparison of various research approaches. These include well‐established methods and recent inventions which are in use to explore and understand consumer behaviour and attitudes. Particular attention is given to the analysis of spontaneous consumer attitudes as expressed through the social media and also in qualitative research interviews.FindingsThis analysis concludes that there are three critical features which differentiate qualitative research (as practised in IDIs and group discussions) from SMM. These are: the direct, interactive dialogue or conversation between consumers and researchers; the facility to “listen” and attend to the (sometimes unspoken) underlying narrative which connects consumers' needs and aspirations, personal goals and driving forces to behaviour and brand choice; and the dynamic, interactive characteristics of the interview that achieve a meeting of minds to produce a shared understanding. Philosophically, it is this “conversation” that gives qualitative research its validity and authenticity which makes it superior to SMM.Originality/valueThis review questions the validity and reliability of the SMM, and concludes that it is a poor substitute for in‐depth qualitative research which has many advantages and benefits.

Publisher

Emerald

Subject

Marketing

Reference13 articles.

1. Branthwaite, A. (1983), “Situations and social actions”, Journal of the Market Research Society, Vol. 25, pp. 19‐38.

2. Branthwaite, A. and Patterson, S. (2010), “The vitality of qualitative research in the era of blogs and tweeting”, Proceedings of ESOMAR Qualitative Conference, Barcelona.

3. BuyQualityEBooks.com (2010), available at: www.buyqualityebooks.com/ebooks/sentiment360.

4. Ellison, N. (2007), “The benefits of Facebook ‘friends’”, Journal of Computer‐Mediated Communication, Vol. 12 No. 3.

5. Gladwell, M. (2010), “Small change: why the revolution will not be tweeted”, The New Yorker, 4 October.

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