Mixed Methods in Research on the Psychology of the Internet and Social Media

Die Forschung zur Psychologie des Internets und der sozialen Medien (PISM) ist durch eine starke methodische Kompartmentalisierung gekennzeichnet. Im aktuellen Beitrag zeigen wir empirisch, dass 1. quantitative Methoden den bevorzugten Goldstandard des Mainstreams des Feldes darstellen (bevorzugt gegenüber qualitativen Methoden und Mixed Methods) und 2. das Feld in separate Communities of Practice (Psychologie, Kommunikations-, Kultur-/Medienwissenschaften) mit je verschiedenen Kausalitätsverständnissen und Methoden aufgeteilt ist. Hierzu untersuchen wir die im Jahr 2020 in sechs einschlägigen PISM-Zeitschriften veröffentlichten Artikel auf die Verwendung quantitativer, qualitativer und Mixed-Methods-Ansätze und analysieren die jeweils verwendeten kausalen Logiken (Regularitätstheorie vs. subjektive Bedeutung). Wir stellen fest, dass die Analyse kausaler Regelmäßigkeiten im Zentrum der quantitativen Forschungspraktiken in der Psychologie und der Kommunikationswissenschaft steht, während die qualitative Kausallogik der subjektiven Bedeutung von Wissenschaftler*innen in den Kultur- und Medienwissenschaften angewandt wird. Es gibt kaum Überschneidungen zwischen diesen Communities und nur wenige Studien mit Mixed-Methods-Designs. Um zu beschreiben, wie eine Bereicherung von PISM durch Mixed-Methods-Ansätze aussehen könnte, stellen wir anschließend eine Mixed-Methods-Studie zu Social-Media-basierten Integrationsmustern von Menschen koreanischer und türkischer Herkunft in Deutschland vor. Abschließend argumentieren wir für eine Auflösung exkludierender, stereotyper Vorstellungen von Kausalität und Methoden in der PISM-Forschung und schlagen Wege in Richtung methodisch inklusiverer Untersuchungspraktiken vor.Research on the psychology of the Internet and social media (POISM) is characterized by a heavy methodological compartmentalization. In the current contribution we show empirically that 1. quantitative methods constitute the preferred gold standard of the field's mainstream (favored over qualitative and mixed methods), 2. the field is divided into separate communities of practice (psychology, communication, cultural/media studies), each with their own type of causal claims and associated methods. To show this we content analyze published articles in 2020 across six pertinent POISM journals for instances of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods as well as regularity-type versus subjective meaning-type causal logic. We find that regularity-type causal logic is at the center of quantitative research practices in psychology and communication, while qualitative subjective meaning-type causal logic is adopted by scholars in cultural/media studies, with hardly any overlap in between, and only few mixed methods studies. To describe how the research area would profit from mixed methods approaches, we subsequently present a mixed methods study about social media-based integration patterns of Korean and Turkish-heritage individuals in Germany. We conclude by dissolving some of the exclusive stereotyped notions of causality and methods in POISM research and suggest avenues for methodologically more inclusive practices of inquiry

Identity dynamics among left-leaning, politically active kurds in Germany: the role of perceived injustice, collective efficacy, and online/offline participation

The current study highlights the multiplicity of Kurdish diasporic identity construction in relation to distant conflict, the Afrin conflict in particular. It first distinguishes between different reference points for identity construction: national Kurdish identity, ethnic Kurdish identity, and politicized Kurdish identity. Second, it explains diasporic identity construction by means of collective action variables: perceived injustice, perceived efficacy, and past online/offline participation. By means of a quantitative survey of members of the Kurdish diaspora in Germany (N = 94) and subsequent regression analyses, the findings show that past online/offline political participation represents a vital factor in the construction of a politicized Kurdish identity, while perceived injustice and perceived collective efficacy represent key predictors of identifying with a Kurdish national identity. Identifying with an ethnic Kurdish identity is not meaningfully explained by the chosen collective action predictors in this study. The study aims to connect diaspora communication and social psychology literatures by using the above-mentioned identity and collective action variables

Definition of Intercultural Competence (IC) in Undergraduate Students at a Private University in the USA: A Mixed-Methods Study.

Introduction Intercultural competence (IC) is an important skill to be gained from higher education. However, it remains unclear what IC means to students and what factors might influence their definitions of IC. The aim of the current study was to qualitatively assess how students at one higher education institution in the USA define IC and to quantitatively test for relationships among IC components and various demographic characteristics, including intercultural experience and study context. A further aim was to descriptively compare the IC definitions from the US sample with the definitions obtained from another sample of university students in Germany. Materials and methods A purposive sample of n = 93 undergraduate, second semester students at Dickinson College, USA, participated in the study by completing an online questionnaire. The qualitative data were content-analyzed to define the dimensions of IC. The quantitative data were cluster-analyzed to assess the multivariate relationships among the IC components and the demographic characteristics of the sample. Results The most important dimensions of IC were Knowledge, External Outcomes (interaction, communication), and Attitudes (respect, tolerance) according to the US sample. The most frequently chosen dimensions of IC differed between both samples: Knowledge was chosen by the sample in the USA while External Outcomes was chosen by the sample in Germany. Relative to the US sample, significantly more students chose Attitudes, External Outcomes, and Intrapersonal Skills in the sample in Germany. The relationships among IC components and demographic characteristics were only weak in the US sample. A person with IC was rated as Open-minded and Respectful by students who lived predominantly in the USA or Tolerant and Curious by those who lived outside the USA for at least six months. Discussion The current results suggest that students residing in two countries (USA or Germany) define IC using similar dimensions. However, IC definitions may depend on the intercultural experience and the current global discourse. Longitudinal studies with representative samples are required to assess how IC definitions change over time

Mixed Methods in the Psychology of the Internet and Social Media

We carried out a content analysis of the causal logic and the methods that psychology, communication and cultural/media studies scholars take up in their publications in pertinent journals concerning the psychology of the Internet and social media. This study will appear in Forum Qualitative Research: see https://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs

Testing measurement equivalence of eudaimonic and hedonic entertainment motivations in a cross-cultural comparison

Within Hofstede’s framework of individualistic and collectivistic cultures, this contribution examines measurement equivalence of hedonic and eudaimonic entertainment motivations in two different cultures, namely Germany representing a more individualistic culture (N = 180) and Turkey representing a more collectivistic culture (N = 97). By means of a multi-group confirmatory factor analysis, we could secure configural invariance for both hedonic and eudaimonic entertainment motivations across the German and Turkish sample. Metric invariance, however, could only be obtained for hedonic, but not for eudaimonic motivations. Scalar invariance was obtained for neither of the two entertainment motivations. The study points to the importance of equivalence testing when conducting cross-cultural research

Reviewing the Role of the Internet in Radicalization Processes

This review presents the existing research on the role of the Internet in radicalization processes. Using a systematic literature search strategy, our paper yields 88 studies on the role of the Internet in a) right-wing extremism and b) radical jihadism. Available studies display a predominant interest in the characteristics of radical websites and a remarkable absence of a user-centred perspective. They show that extremist groups make use of the Internet to spread right wing or jihadist ideologies, connect like-minded others in echo chambers and cloaked websites, and address particularly marginalized individuals of a society, with specific strategies for recruitment. Existing studies have thus far not sufficiently examined the users of available sites, nor have they studied the causal mechanisms that unfold at the intersection between the Internet and its users. The present review suggests avenues for future research, drawing on media and violence research and research on social identity and deindividuation effects in computer-mediated communication