A case in studying chat rooms: Ethical and methodological concerns and approaches for enhancing positive research outcomes

Abstract

Increasing the ethicality of a project and the usefulness of the data enhances the probability that social good will result from the research; a combination of ethical and methodological soundness is therefore crucial. From 1999‐2002 I conducted a qualitative study of women’s, men’s, and mixed Internet chat room conversations. In this article, I discuss the particular ethical issues that arose, outlining my ethical decision‐making process within the context of current debates. I also describe the methodological concerns, demonstrating why a synthesized method responsive to the advantages and disadvantages of cyberspace was necessary, and how the data were enhanced by this choice of method and by certain characteristics of cyberspace. In discussing the details of my study, my overall goal is to provide an assessment of the social good of the project with a view to increasing the probability of more ethical and useful Internet‐based research outcomes more generally.

Citation

Enos Carroll, M. (2005), "A case in studying chat rooms: Ethical and methodological concerns and approaches for enhancing positive research outcomes", Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, Vol. 3 No. 1, pp. 35-50. https://doi.org/10.1108/14779960580000260