Abstract—The use of instant messaging and social networks
in the world today is a concept with high esteem. The efforts of
many researchers to merge it with various research methods is
still a new trend of strong debate. This study will examine the
advantages of instant messaging and social networks in online
research methodology scenario. With the advent of web-based
messaging applications, one now wonder the difficulties
researchers face on a daily basis to schedule a one-on-one
interview with the potential participants. Instant message apps
are surging in popularity across the world as these apps
encourage peer-to-peer communications and allow users to
exchange instant messages online and through their mobile
devices. This study is done using online focus group discussion
consisting of five members expressing their views on this novel
domain, the important of instant messaging and social networks
on research methods as against the traditional one-on-one
interview approach for data collection. The results obtained
from the focus group discussions highlight the important of the
instant messaging and social networks in research methodology
as this indicate a new shift and direction in research
advancement.
Index Terms—Instant messaging, social networks, online
research methodology, data collection.
The authors are with the School of Computing, University of Portsmouth,
United Kingdom (e-mail: Kazeem.oseni@port.ac.uk,
Kate.dingley@port.ac.uk, Penny.Hart@port.ac.uk).
Cite: Kazeem Oluwakemi Oseni, Kate Dingley, and Penny Hart, "Instant Messaging and Social Networks — The Advantages in Online Research Methodology," International Journal of Information and Education Technology vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 56-62, 2018.