How to…interview across text-based messaging applications

Interviewing people in a space where they are familiar and feel comfortable is important. For many today, this means online platforms such as social media messaging applications (e.g. Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram). Using apps to conduct text-based interviews has had huge advantages during the Covid-19 pandemic, allowing researchers to engage with hard to reach populations, about sensitive topics, in remote fields and over extended periods of times. As part of our methods@manchester ‘How to…’ series Silje Anderdal Bakken (University of Copenhagen) shares her tips drawn from conducting app-based interviews with young people about online illegal drug sales.

What is app-based textual interviewing? 

Everyday text-based communication through various mobile phone applications has become commonplace for the majority of people. Interviewing via text-based apps has become a useful way of conversing with study participants in a flexible way that is not dependent on location or time of day. This challenges traditional face-to-face interviewing that has long been the gold-standard in qualitative research. 

Over the years, various technologies have been used for interviewing, for example emails and online chats. Differently from asynchronous conversations (email) or synchronous conversations (chat), app-based interviews combine the two by allowing both live conversations and spreading conversations across time. This creates both methodological advantages and challenges when planning app-based textual interviews. 

Interviewing through text also result in shorter answers, which might not be suitable for all research questions or analytical methods. The high flexibility also makes it time-consuming and similar to fieldwork rather than conventional interviewing (at least when not structuring the interviews). 

Furthermore, body language is one example of an element from physical interaction that is not as apparent in textual conversations. It could be argued that a variation of body language is present through texting, which could be expressed by the use of emojis, capital letters or images - however, the emotions transmitted through text are not as spontaneous and sometimes rather carefully selected based on what is perceived as suitable or expected. The lack of body language might have several consequences, such as causing misunderstandings unaccounted for by the researcher - since there are no other hints of the meaning of the interviewee’s answers other than the text itself. 

Conversely, interviewing through text makes the language more clear, as it is written down, as opposed to oral transmission encompassing a mix of other communicative signs. It is also important to see the method as part of our highly digital age where most people communicate through text several times a day. This means that people are more used to expressing themselves textually, as well interpreting others’ textual communications.

Working safely with text-based interviewing

Although the project was approved by The Academic Ethics Committee of the University of Copenhagen, the ethical considerations were substantial. Amongst these, there were considerations relating to covert observations, written consent, verifying identity, and the protection of the participants - all in the context of inquiring about their illegal business. It was important for us that the participants kept their anonymity, and also that we, as researchers, did not store too much sensitive information.

During participant recruitment, all interviewees received information about the study, the name of the principal investigator and the study coordinator - this was done by using a set format for the initial recruitment message. Whilst we also referred to the official University project website, a few participants wanted to double check if we were genuine by sending a question to our official emails through the University website that we had to answer on Wickr. 

There were some challenges, such as verifying the participants’ age (as they were required to be old enough to consent to participation). Verification of age was done by simply asking for their age at the beginning, and by being attentive to hints of a lower age. 

We did not get any restrictions from the committee on what we could talk about through the app, but the question guide was carefully edited to ask questions in a suitable way (broad questions in the beginning, more sensitive questions towards the end). It is therefore important to note that interviewing at a distance also provides researcher protection, as well as security for the interviewee.

How to conduct app-based textual interviewing 

All the interviews were held individually, within the same application - the bulk of the interview was conducted through semi-structured approaches where the researchers used an interview guide for topics and questions that should be covered throughout the conversation. The phrasing of the questions were adjusted to the conversation, as in traditional semi-structured interviews, where our aim was to keep the discussion informal and adapted to the interviewee.

Do’s:

• Know your population: How do they communicate in their daily lives? Are they familiar with using technology?
• Create a comfortable and informal online setting that seems natural: Use emojis, make reactions (‘haha’, ‘wow’, ‘I see’).
• Consider the conversational rhythm of the interviewee and copy it to the degree of getting a good conversation flow: long/short messages, one/many messages in one answer, answering quickly/slow, emojis, etc.
• Consider how the use of technology impacts the interview (positively/negatively)
• Be aware of what technology/app you use: Is it an ok platform to do research? E.g., does it store the data? Does the population feel safe enough to open up on this platform?
• Remember that an important part of the interviewee’s interview context is their physical environment behind their screen: At work? With friends? At night? At a party? Drunk?

• Do not push the interviewee to answer by nudging the person with several messages. Have patience, but send occasional friendly reminders. Rather inform the interviewee about your limited project time span, and set a time for when to talk.
• Do not use sarcasm, irony or other expressions that might be easily misunderstood when not being face-to-face (at least not until there is a level of trust that allows it)
• Do not conduct several interviews at the same time. If you do, take notes or transcribe the interviews right away so that you can separate them from each other and follow up on topics.