NCRM Bitesize Lessons for Teaching Social Science Research Methods 4: Teaching Digital Methods to Students without Technology Backgrounds

This document is the fourth guide in the series NCRM Bitesize Lessons for Teaching Social Science Research Methods. It focuses on digital methods.

While there is no consensus on a single definition, the term ‘digital methods’ is frequently attributed to Richard Rogers at the University of Amsterdam. He advocates for the use of digitally native data, such as social media posts, geolocation data, and web search results, to explore broader social and cultural issues.

Those who subscribe to this definition usually differentiate between digital methods and virtual methods. The latter refers to digitised extensions of traditional methods, such as online surveys and interviews. Consequently, digital methods are often associated with large datasets and computational techniques.

However, this guide adopts a more inclusive perspective, encompassing digital ethnography and other qualitative approaches.