Upcoming Webinar: How to Do Research in a Digital World

You are reading this post online, on a blog. In the last 24 hours you might have communicated by text and email, had a video chat with a friend, purchased items online, played a game, read the news, posted on social media, and/or searched for the answer to your question. You might have been sitting at a desk in front of a computer, or walking down the street, because we have so many ways to connect given today’s mobile technologies. It is hard to separate digital from IRL, in real life, when for so many of us digital life IS real life.

At the same time, we realize that people around the world have very different online experiences. What is known as the digital divide still exists, that is, some people have access and others have limited access. Some users’ privacy and freedom are constrained by governmental restrictions and surveillance while others deal with collection of private information by commercial vendors. The platforms and tools we use are commercially owned, and they are not neutral.

What does this vibrant, yet scary, digital world mean for researchers? How can we connect with participants and find sources online? How do we respect cultural preferences? Adapt to technical opportunities and limitations? What methods and tools make sense given the purpose of the study? There is no one-size-fits-all answer to these questions!

On May 7, we are hosting a webinar live from the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS) in Bochum, Germany with resident scholars for a conversation about using online methods to study digital trends, cultures, and communities. You will hear from researchers who are using online methods to reach participants and to study ways people use digital interactions. Our esteemed guests will explain how to navigate design decisions and address ethical concerns so you can conduct scholarly research online.

Meet the Panelists

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Janet Salmons

Janet Salmons, PhD (she/her) is an independent scholar and qualitative methodologist who focuses on online collaboration and online research methods. She is the author of 12 books and numerous articles and book chapters. Recent publications include Doing Qualitative Research Online (2022), Reframing and Rethinking Collaboration in Higher Education and Beyond (2021), What Kind of Researcher Are You? (2020), Gather Your Data Online (2019), and Learning to Collaborate, Collaborating to Learn (2019). As a 2024 Fellow at the Center for Advanced Internet Studies in Bochum, Germany she is updating and advancing design models to support ethical online research, which will be available as an open-access e-book in 2025. Dr. Salmons managed Sage Research Methods Community from 2017 to 2024. She lives and works in Boulder, Colorado.

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Edlyne Anugwom

Edlyne Anugwom is Professor of Sociology and African Development currently with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Nigeria.  His research interests inter alia include political sociology of development; social conflict; industrial/labor relations; social research methods, public health; and social dimensions of climate change. A serial Humboldt scholar, Edlyne is also Secretary-General of the Pan African Anthropologists Association (PAAA). Apart from being a reviewer for several reputable journals, he is also the current editor of the journal African Anthropologist published by CODESRIA. He is author of Development in Nigeria: Promise on Hold? He has held fellowship/teaching positions in Leiden, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Wassenaar, Mainz, Cape Town, and Bridgewater, U.S.A among others. Edlyne is currently on research fellowship at the Centre for Advanced Internet Studies in Bochum, Germany (April – September 2024).

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Esther Laufer

Esther Laufer is responsible for the implementation, evaluation and strategic development of the CAIS funding program. She coordinates the selection process and is the contact person for applicants, fellows, and organizers of funded working groups.

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Azadeh Shamsi

Azadeh Shamsi recently completed her second MA in Gender Studies at Central European University and is currently a research fellow at the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS) in Germany. She received her first Master's degree in International Communication and Development from City University of London. She completed my Bachelor's degree in Media and Communication at Tehran University. She worked as a journalist for more than 7 years for various media outlets in Iran, most of the time for a national news agency called ISNA. Her research interest centers on Digital Feminist Activism, Affect and Emotion Studies, Digital and Affective Labor, and visibility of social movement through digital media platforms.

ResearchRachel WolfeWebinar, Research methods, Digital world, Digital research, how to do research and get published