Structure of the Presentation
1. State of Internet and Social Media Use;
2. Parameters and Objectives;
3. Contextualization;
4. Defining the Blogging Population;
5. Web-based Sampling Strategies;
6. Discussion.
State of Social Media Use
• Evolution and intensifying use of Web 2.0 tools;• Reconfiguration of the political communication,
mobilization and persuasion environment in the last twenty (20) years:
Sources; Xenos and Foot, 2008; Kushin and Yamamoto, 2009; Foot and Schneider, 2006; Kushin, Kitchner et al., 2009; Bode, 2008.
Information: Production; “Coproduction”; Dissemination; Acquisition.
Social relations: Temporality; Directionality.
Public deliberation processes
2004: 88% of Web users believed the Web was part of their “daily media routine”;
December 2008: 74% of citizens went online for various reasons55% for political
information and commentary;
38% for information dissemination and discussion
2007: 78% of citizens are active Internet users;
2008: “Important source for current affairs and political information for Canadians”.
December 2007: 74% of citizens are Internet users;
Low levels of Internet penetration:Underdeveloped
digital infrastructure;
Web content consumption behaviour.
2007: 28% used the Web for political information;
State of Social Media Use
• Rising importance of the Internet:
Sources; Small, 2008; Fallows, 2004; Madden, 2006; Jones and Fox, 2009; Smith, 2009; CEFRIO, 2008; ISQ, 2009; Clavet 2002;.
State of Social Media Use
• Enduring presence of a digital divide in many Western countries;
• Impact of the upcoming “generational succession”: Growth of connectivity levels and Internet-
related knowledge; Diversification and potential intensification of
online politicking activities:
Sources; Schlozman, Verba et al., 2009; Delli Carpini, 2000; Hargittai and Hinnant, 2008; Bennett, Wells et al., 2008.
Technologies provide “attractive ways” to be politically-engaged;
Rising importance of informal political communication, mobilization and persuasion ways.
State of Social Media Use
• “Meteoric” growth of social media platforms in the last five (5) years:
Blogs; Social networking “services” (SNS); Status updating (microblogging) tools.
• Production of an increasingly large body of scientific work:
Social relations and identity formation; Education. Politically-oriented activities
• Social media platforms still an “understudied” phenomenon.
Sources; Gaines and Mondak, 2008; Ellison, Steinfeld et al., 2006; Kampitaki, Tambouris et al., 2009; Caverlee and Webb, 2008.
Parameters and Objectives
• Few studies on methodological challenges of studying Web-based social media platforms;
• “Slow pace of academic publishing” not keeping up with constantly-evolving objects of study.
Sources; Foot and Schneider, 2004; Kankowski and Van Selm, 2008; Karfp, 2009; Boyd and Ellison, 2007; Ahn, Han et al., 2007.
Objectives of the presentation
1. Overview of the challenges of studying Web-based social media platforms;
2. In-depth characterization of several concerns linked to the constitution of representative research samples through non-probabilistic, or decentralized, strategies;
3. Advantages and pitfalls of viral sampling.
Parameters and Objectives
• Presentation based on previous work on Quebec-based political bloggers;
• Politics-oriented blogs: Increasing importance since 2001:
Dislike and discontent of conventional media; Decline of “institutionalized forms” of
political participation. Four (4) distinct functions on the political scene:
Potential influence on agenda-setting processes;
Source of original reporting; Arena of political discussion; Communication between citizens and
government.
Sources; Johnson and Kaye, 2004; Mariën, Hooghe et al., 2008, Sweetser and Kaid, 2008; Siapera,2008; Wallsten, 2007.
Contextualization
• Social media research situated within the broader Internet-research framework;
• Development of new investigation techniques adapted to the nature of the Web:
Multidimensional; Deterritorialized; Constantly-evolving.
• Internet research “located in the interplays of online, onground and technical research spheres”;
• Eclosion of an aphysical space for scholars to “rethink assumptions and categories”
Sources; Dahlberg, 2004; Foot and Schneider, 2004; Maczewski, Storey et al., 2004; Baka and Scott, 2008; Morris and Ogan, 1996.
Deep structural transformation
s
Contextualization
• Influences to conduct Internet research:
Sources; Nancarrow, Pallister et al., 2001, Livingstone, 2004; Walther, Gay et al., 2005; Jankowski and Van Selm, 2008.
Researcher
“Pull factors”: Novelty; Facility; Flexibility; Accessibility; Etc.
“Push factors”: Constant
need to redefine methodological approaches
Challenges: Development of mixed, or hybrid, approaches
(triangulation); Visualization of findings; Sampling processes.
Defining the Blogging Population
• Structural characteristics of the blogosphere: Identification of political blogs:
Sources; Karpf, 2008; Sweetser, Golan et al., 2008, Trammell, Williams et al., 2006; Hookway, 2008; Sweetser and Kaid, 2006.
Personal blogs
“Blawgs”
Celebrity blogsBlogosphere
Political blogs
Different formats;Different objectives.
Blogging refers “[...] to a wide range of disparate activities that
are problematically grouped together”
Defining the Blogging Population
• Structural characteristics of the blogosphere: Identification of political blogs:
Sources; Wallsten, 2005; 2007; Giasson, Raynauld et al., 2009; Park, 2009; Hargittai, Gallo et al., 2009; Gruszczynski, 2009.
Quantitative keyword analysis of their
content
Bloggers’ assessment of their publications
Other techniques: Consideration of formal and informal public
directories; Exploration of political blogs’ blogrolls; Content analysis of conventional media’s
coverage.
Fatally flawed?
Defining the Blogging Population
• Structural characteristics of the blogosphere: Constant restructuration of the political
blogosphere: Rapid expansion since 2004; Blogs’ level of activity;
Potentially geographically-specific nature of projects.
Sources; Gruszczynski, 2009, Schmidt, 2007; Martin, 2009; Wallsten, 2005; Perseus, 2004; Halavais, 2002; Hargittai, Gallo et al., 2008.
Certain social media platforms are plagued by poor levels of retention.
Difficulty to produce comprehensive and up-to-date repertoire of the political blogosphere
Defining the Blogging Population
• Quebec-based French-speaking political bloggers:• Consideration of two (2) unscientific indexes of
political blogs;• Approximately 125 Quebec-based political
bloggers in April 2008.
Sources; Giasson, Raynauld et al., 2008; 2009.
Web-Based Sampling Strategies
• Methodologically- questionable sampling techniques used by researchers:
“Tentative”; “Not lacking creativity”.
• Probability sampling highly problematic (“if not impossible”):
Sources; Bar-Ilan, 2005; Calvert and Huffaker, 2005; Wallsten, 2005; Gruszczynski, 2009; McKenna and Pole, 2008; Munger, 2008.
Random identification and selection processes:“After browsing
blogspace for a while”;“randomly [...] selected
weblogs”.
Problem with the identification of the population.
Web-Based Sampling Strategies
• Non-probabilistic sampling techniques are the only “feasible” or “appropriate”:
Avoid “small and isolated clusters”; Other strategies do not adequately portray the
decentralized and unpredictable nature of Web-based social flows;
Extensively used for weblog research. Difficult to produce a truly representative
research sample of bloggers;• Impact of data-gathering techniques (Web-based
surveys):• Easy to circulate;• Low costs (printing, shipping, etc.);• Data collected can be easily managed.
Sources; Johnson, Kaye et al., 2008; Porter, Sweetser et al., 2008; Ahn, Han et al., 2007; Herring and Paolillo, 2006; Wallsten, 2005.
Web-Based Sampling Strategies
• Quebec-based French-speaking political bloggers: Online survey available from April 15th 2008 to
May 1st 2008 inclusively; 58 questions unevenly distributed in seven
sections: Constitution of the research sample was twofold:
Selection of 22 A-list political bloggers;
Non-probabilistic viral dissemination approach for the circulation of the survey:
Through A-list bloggers; Through conventional
media representatives (journalists).
Sources; Vergeer and Hermanns, 2008; Jankowski and Van Selm, 2008; Scheidt, 2008; Wallsten, 2008; Sweetser, 2008.
Research sample
56 respondents; 73% of A-list
bloggers responded;
71% recruited through the viral procedure.
Web-Based Sampling Strategies
• Possible detrimental impact of viral sampling strategies:
Fragmentation of the online political audience; Politically-homogenous and highly partisan
nature of online socio-political networks; Potential research agenda of respondents;
• Sampling as possible research results:• Indicator of the socio-political behavioural
profile of certain Web-based political communities.
Sources; Johnson, Kaye et al., 2008; Porter, Sweetser et al., 2008; Ahn, Han et al., 2007; Herring and Paolillo, 2006; Wallsten, 2005.
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS