The methodological benefits of social media: “studying up” in Brazil in the Facebook age

Abstract

While conducting research on the organizational cultures of elite nonprofit organizations in Rio de Janeiro, the author encountered many access issues identified in the current literature: in particular, difficulty in encountering research subjects due to the transitional nature of educational nonprofits and the role of secretaries and administrators as gatekeepers. This article explores two previously undeveloped methodological innovations utilized by the author to overcome these difficulties with regard to access: namely, the use of social media as a participant recruitment tool and the use of an organization's online marketing presence as an alternative data source.

Keywords:

• elites
• social media
• participant recruitment
• access issues

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Award.