Proposed Research Protocol

The plan for this research project will follow a linear triangulation progression, as opposed to a composite triangulation progression. A linear triangulation progression allows the first method to be thoroughly analyzed before beginning the second method. A composite triangulation progression would attempt to complete all of the methods around the same time frame and would create a constant based on the universal themes present in each of the method. The linear triangulation progression works better for this research project, as I am going to be the only researcher and the composite triangulation progression requires at least one researcher per method. Also, I believe that by experiencing all of the methods as the lead researcher I can provide a snapshot of the research environment with a singular focus. The use of the survey (a quantitative method of establishing normative themes), followed by a qualitative interviewing protocol and finishing with a virtual ethnography of the different Facebook site for each university will help narrow the focus of the analysis and allow me to focus on the common normative themes, as opposed to the common pragmatic themes (Lindlof & Taylor, 2002).

The survey will be given to a random sample of 100 OSU, OU and UC undergraduate students, which will be retrieved from the Facebook’s website of each school through the “Random People Finder” function on Facebook. All 300 students will receive an invitation to complete the survey from the Facebook website, with a short description of the study, information about confidentiality and a link to the survey. I will need to post the survey on a survey hosting site like Zoomerang or SurveyMonkey. Demographic information will not be a factor per se, as the random nature of the selection process should account for the natural breakdown of the student population in whole. I will present demographic information of each of the universities and see how it compare to the random selections given by the Facebook website. The hope is that when I compare the demographics of the sample to the demographic information gathered about the university’s population as a whole, there should be virtually no difference between the two groups (the sample population and the total population) concerning selection bias (ibid). However, the response bias could be different the two groups.

After the survey process is done, I will analyze the results and create an interview protocol based on the themes present in the survey. I will select forty people to interview from the survey pool based on a random selection process. Based on the literature, this should be narrowed to twenty people willing to be interviewed based on fatigue, time-constraints and/or other factors. Regarding a generic interview protocol, I would break the interview into several thematic concerns. First, I’d like to focus on the presentation of identity on Facebook. It seems that conversation about identity would begin by identifying what the individual considers private information versus what the individual considers public information. I would ask those whom I’m interviewing if they could tell me what they think about when they present information on Facebook. What artifacts (pictures, text, video) do they use to define yourself on Facebook? How do they choose the groups to join on Facebook? How comfortable are they presenting information on Facebook? These questions will give me a better understanding of the report that the individual has with their perceived Facebook audience.

The next set of questions for the freshmen revolves around how they connect with others on Facebook. I’ll have them describe their relationship with others on campus. Then, I’ll have the individual describe their relationship with their friends on Facebook. Then, I’ll have them describe the difference between having a Facebook relationship with those on campus versus those Facebook relationship that is further away. I’ll follow up this by asking them some general questions about their use of the Facebook as a status checker. How often do they change their status on Facebook? How often do they check others’ Facebook status? Do they use other apps as a method of checking up on others? The final part of the section deals with Facebook connectivity away from the site. Do they use other technology to keep track on their Facebook page (e.g., email, wireless phones, etc.)? I’ll have them talk to me about if the individual talks to others about what’s been posted on Facebook. This section should be factoring into my discussion regarding the offline/online dynamic present in the Facebook culture.

In the final section of the interview process, I’ll ask them about using Facebook as a coping mechanism. The interview protocol for this section will be formed from the research gathered by Ralf Schwarzer & Christine Schwarzer (1996) and their work in coping assessment. The question set for this section will be more informal to deal with individual resources available to each (e.g., self-efficacy, sense of coherence, social support, etc.). This question set will also reflect the themes present in the survey and will be used to flesh out and reinforce common normative themes between the interview and the survey.