Qualitative Research Method

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Page | 37 researcher to discover new dimensions of relevance to this thesis (Kvale, 1996). The structure of the

exploratory interview found inspiration in DSM-5: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental

Disorders, Fifth Edition, which is developed by the American Psychiatric Association and used by American authorities for diagnosis of Opioid Use Disorder (Casteel & Valora, 2010) (see appendix 2). (The official European equivalent is ICD-10 which is used for same purpose: however DSM-5 is commonly used in research.) The purpose of this thesis is not to diagnose informants for opioid use disorder, for which reason the interview design only draws loose inspiration from DSM-5. However, if the empirical data found strong similarities between DSM-5 classified behavior and informants’ behavior it will be possible to assume that informants may be stimulated by dopamine to some degree. The exploratory part of the interview sought to include the informants’ own perception of own use of social media: such as time consumption, purpose, use etc. As this research paper does not seek to investigate a specific consumer group, there were no

demographical criteria in recruiting informants though informants were required to be daily active on social media, favoring those who have interacted with a company on a social media platform. An exploratory interview design makes it possible to attain insight in the individual’s use of social media and how this is related to their behavior.

See appendix 1 for an overview of the interview design. Informants were first asked to give a brief

presentation of themselves: the purpose was to give the informants an easy start and help them feel relaxed.

The second question asks informants to give an estimate of daily time spent on social media followed by the researcher presenting the factual amount spent on social media, using data from RescueTime: an app that registers and measures time spent of social media platforms. The aim is to gain insight on the informants’

awareness of his or her consumption of social media: a higher consumption than intended, or expected, is often seen in dopamine-stimulated behavior. Informants are asked if they have previously attempted to cut down or control their use of social media, as unsuccessful attempts of the like is also connected to dopamine-stimulated behavior, e.g., subjects who tend to excess use of opioids. The following questions seek to gain insight on whether the subject noticed the absence of the social media platforms and how social media influence every-day behavior: questions aiming at comparing the subject’s behavior and conduct with behavior seen in opioid use which is known to stimulate dopamine regions and receptors.

Questions were categorized into four categories:

1. Background of the informant: age, occupation, etc.

2. Time consumption on social media: to what extend were informants conscious of their time spent on social media and its influence in their daily lives.

3. Company interaction on social media: what are informants’ experience and perception of interacting with companies on social media.

Page | 38 4. Unconscious conduct on social media: how informants react as they go online after their offline

days: do their responses change as they are occupied with social media or do they complement answers given previously.

The observatory part sought to gain insight in informants’ unconscious behavior. About two weeks before the interview took place, informants were asked to install an app, RescueTime, on devices used to access social media platforms. RescueTime works on all operating systems, devices and platforms. It measures time spent on different platforms and displays a daily, weekly and monthly average of time spent on platforms.

Two informants had not activated the app properly, and their time consumption had not been tracked. Two to four days before the interview the informant logs off all social media platforms. During the observatory interview informants interact with social media platforms for the first time since they logged off. The role of the researcher is to observe and pose elaborating questions if necessary. The purpose is to look for

similarities in dopamine-stimulated behavior and informants’ behavioral reaction towards social media.

The observatory part of the interviews takes place as the subject reengages with social media platforms. The aim is to look for behavior that has not been expressed during the exploratory interview and unconscious behavior. Reactions and expressions may give insight to scenarios that may stimulate dopamine regions and thus result in a dopamine-stimulated behavior.

All interviews were conducted in person, they were recorded, notes were taken underway and interviews were transcribed as the researcher considers this process to be rewarding in reflection of the interviews. The observatory interview was not transcribed however bits and parts of value were transcribed and are included in the appendix. As all participants were Danish, interviews were conducted in Danish. Transcriptions were not translated to English however quotes appearing in the following have been translated in consideration to international readers. These quotes are highlighted in the disclosed transcriptions. Interviews took place at the house of the informants or in a public environment chosen by informants. Five informants were

interviewed and it was concluded to be sufficient because the informants were very much in agreement with one another. It was chosen to give informants anonymity. It proved to be surprisingly difficult to find candidates who were willing to go offline for at least two days, and, as Informant 5 explained, the thought of being offline for two days was affecting:

“Well, I have had all kinds of theories about how I could cheat in this [laughs] and what if I logged on Facebook on the internet, would you be able to see it […] Anyway, I did not access the

apps. I have been very, very, very, very tempted to do it, but yeah… I did not.”

Page | 39 A test interview was made for the purpose of testing the interview design and allowing the author to change and adjust the interview design. The interview with informant 1 was the test interview, which affected the length of the interview. As the results of the interview were satisfying it was approved and included as part of the empirical framework. Following the test interview no adjustments were made but the author acquired focus and insight in relevance of questions. Analyzing the interviews took place throughout the empirical process as similarities of statements appeared in interviews. Some parts of the interviews gave surprisingly valuable insight, so every interview made it even more clear which aspects and topics to focus on. This was a learning process that gradually improved focus. Interviews were transcribed shortly after being conducted however they were not analyzed until all interviews had been conducted. When all interviews were conducted and transcribed, they were read one by one. First, findings complementing the theoretical framework were highlighted. Second, findings that were not presented in the theoretical framework but observed in several interviews were highlighted. These findings were considered to be of value or relevance to understanding informants’ behavior and are presented in the following. During interviews the author was very attentive to avoiding leading questions or suggesting answers. It would be worth considering that the subjectivity of the author has had an inevitable effect during the interviews as well as in the process of analyzing interviews. Subjectivity is accepted and expected in the hermeneutic and constructivist theory of science.

As the purpose of the deductive methodological approach was to make general conclusions derived from the theoretical framework, the following analysis of the interviews presents repetitive findings that complement the theoretical framework. It will also present new findings that were not mentioned in the theoretical framework but frequently witnessed among informants.