This book introduces the essential qualitative methods used in media research, with an emphasis on integrating theory with practice. Each method is introduced through step-by-step instruction on conducting research and interpreting research findings, alongside in-depth discussions of the historical, cultural, and theoretical context of the particular method and case studies drawn from published scholarship. This text is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to qualitative methods, ideal for media and mass communication research courses.

This fully updated fourth edition provides students and researchers with the tools they need to perform critically engaged, theoretically informed research using methods that include interviewing, focus groups, historical research, oral histories, textual analysis, ethnography and participant observation, and digital ethnography and netnography. Each chapter features step-by-step instructions that integrate theory with practice, as well as a case study drawn from published research demonstrating best practices for media scholars. Readers will also find in-depth discussions of the challenges and ethical issues that may confront researchers using a qualitative approach. With new case studies and examples throughout, this fourth edition also includes updated and expanded material on performing data analysis, how to analyze and understand research findings, performing social media research, and the use of big data and Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). This includes a brand-new chapter on generative A.I., which examines recent advancements and technological developments, and considers ways qualitative researchers can use it for their research. A comprehensive and accessible guide for those hoping to explore this rich vein of research methodology, this book provides students and scholars with all the tools they need to be able to work with in today’s convergent media environment.

A comprehensive guide to qualitative research methods in user experience (UX), the interaction between humans and digital products, designed for media and communication students. Angela M. Cirucci and Urszula M. Pruchniewska provide an accessible introduction to the field (including the history of UX and common UX design terminology). Readers are taken through the entire research design process, with an outline for preparing a study (including a planning template), a discussion of recruitment techniques, an exploration of ethics considerations, and a detailed breakdown of 12 essential UX research methods. The 12 methods covered include emotional journeys, screenshot diaries, walkthroughs, contextual inquiry, card sorting, and usability testing, with the chapter for each method including a step-by-step breakdown, discussions of in-person versus virtual procedures, and a "What You Need" section. Throughout the book, useful parallels are drawn between traditional academic research methods and UX methods, and special attention is paid to diversity and inclusivity. This is an essential text for media and communications students wishing to become familiar with UX research methods, a rapidly growing field that will open numerous exciting career paths for graduates.

This textbook is an advanced introduction to quantitative methods for students in communication and allied social science disciplines that focuses on why and how to conduct research that contributes to social justice. Today’s researchers are inspired by the potential for scholarship to make a difference for society, to push toward more just and equitable ends, and to engage in dialogue with members of the public so that they can make decisions about how to navigate the social, cultural, and political world equipped with accurate, fair, and up-to-date knowledge. This book illustrates the mechanics and the meaning behind quantitative research methods by illustrating each step in the research design process with research addressing questions of social justice. It provides practical guidance for researchers who wish to engage in the transformation of structures, practices, and understandings in society through community and civic engagement and policy formation. It contains step-by-step guidance in quantitative methods—from conceptualization through all the stages of execution of a study, including providing a detailed guide for statistical analysis—and demonstrates how researchers can engage with social justice issues in systematic, rigorous, ethical, and meaningful ways. This text serves as a core or supplementary textbook for graduate and advanced undergraduate courses in research methods for communication and social sciences and fills a gap for a methods text that is responsive to the desire of scholars to conduct socially impactful research.

Qualitative Research Methods for Media Studies provides students and researchers with the tools they need to perform critically engaged, theoretically informed research using methods that include interviewing, focus groups, historical research, oral histories, ethnography and participant observation, textual analysis and online research. Each chapter features step-by-step instructions that integrate theory with practice, as well as a case study drawn from published research demonstrating best practices for media scholars. Readers will also find in-depth discussions of the challenges and ethical issues that may confront researchers using a qualitative approach. Qualitative research does not offer easy answers, simple truths or precise measurements, but this book provides a comprehensive and accessible guide for those hoping to explore this rich vein of research methodology. With new case studies throughout, this new edition includes updated material on digital technologies, including discussion of doing online research and using data to give students the tools they need to work in today’s convergent media environment.

Sites of Protest examines the global resurgence of protest movements and the ways in which they use public and private space - both physical and ‘immaterial’ - to secure attention for a wide variety of causes, cultural events and moral campaigns. The book takes its readers inside the mindset, not only of protestors and activists, but also of the state and corporate authorities that attempt to limit the impact of dissent. It also explains how media outlets frame the wide variety of international events and controversies that make up modern protest movements, and examines the myths that surround activism and the Internet. Has the landscape of dissent changed forever, or does the fact that protestors still rely on the symbolism associated with a particular ‘place’, mean that their interventions will remain localised and will fail to create a universal appeal?

The SAGE Handbook of Social Media Research Methods spans the entire research process, from data collection to analysis and interpretation. This second edition has been comprehensively updated and expanded, from 39 to 49 chapters. In addition to a new section of chapters focussing on ethics, privacy and the politics of social media data, the new edition provides broader coverage of topics such as: Data sources Scraping and spidering data Locative data, video data and linked data Platform-specific analysis Analytical tools Critical social media analysis Written by leading scholars from across the globe, the chapters provide a mix of theoretical and applied assessments of topics, and include a range of new case studies and data sets that exemplify the methodological approaches. This Handbook is an essential resource for any researcher or postgraduate student embarking on a social media research project. PART 1: Conceptualising and Designing Social Media Research PART 2: Collecting Data PART 3: Qualitative Approaches to Social Media Data PART 4: Quantitative Approaches to Social Media Data PART 5: Diverse Approaches to Social Media Data PART 6: Research & Analytical Tools PART 7: Social Media Platforms PART 8: Privacy, Ethics and Inequalities