Using Facebook to Recruit People with Dwarfism: Pros and Pitfalls for Disabled Participants and Researchers

Social networking sites have gained widespread popularity and remain a popular way of keeping in contact with others. Drawing on networked individualism, this paper argues that Facebook is beneficial for recruiting disabled participants spread over a wide geographical area. The aim of the article is...

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Main Author: Erin Pritchard
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Stockholm University Press 2021-03-01
Series:Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://account.sjdr.se/index.php/su-j-sjdr/article/view/747
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author Erin Pritchard
author_facet Erin Pritchard
author_sort Erin Pritchard
collection DOAJ
description Social networking sites have gained widespread popularity and remain a popular way of keeping in contact with others. Drawing on networked individualism, this paper argues that Facebook is beneficial for recruiting disabled participants spread over a wide geographical area. The aim of the article is to provide a comparison between using Facebook as a recruitment tool and the more traditional form of face-to-face recruitment via attending events for people with dwarfism. These were the two main forms of recruitment used to understand how people with dwarfism navigate through public spaces. This paper argues that Facebook is not just good for recruiting disabled participants, but also for disabled researchers to use as an accessible form of recruitment. However, building on recruitment experiences, including those influenced by a digital divide, this paper demonstrates that caution must be taken when trying to recruit participants using Facebook alone. This paper offers recommendations for researchers considering using Facebook as a recruitment tool.
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spelling doaj.art-cc1370f95d4e4b5c884d1c9d5c529a272023-04-21T12:59:43ZengStockholm University PressScandinavian Journal of Disability Research1745-30112021-03-01231859310.16993/sjdr.747440Using Facebook to Recruit People with Dwarfism: Pros and Pitfalls for Disabled Participants and ResearchersErin Pritchard0Liverpool Hope UniversitySocial networking sites have gained widespread popularity and remain a popular way of keeping in contact with others. Drawing on networked individualism, this paper argues that Facebook is beneficial for recruiting disabled participants spread over a wide geographical area. The aim of the article is to provide a comparison between using Facebook as a recruitment tool and the more traditional form of face-to-face recruitment via attending events for people with dwarfism. These were the two main forms of recruitment used to understand how people with dwarfism navigate through public spaces. This paper argues that Facebook is not just good for recruiting disabled participants, but also for disabled researchers to use as an accessible form of recruitment. However, building on recruitment experiences, including those influenced by a digital divide, this paper demonstrates that caution must be taken when trying to recruit participants using Facebook alone. This paper offers recommendations for researchers considering using Facebook as a recruitment tool.https://account.sjdr.se/index.php/su-j-sjdr/article/view/747facebookrecruitmentpeople with dwarfismdigital dividenetworked individualismdisability research
spellingShingle Erin Pritchard
Using Facebook to Recruit People with Dwarfism: Pros and Pitfalls for Disabled Participants and Researchers
Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research
facebook
recruitment
people with dwarfism
digital divide
networked individualism
disability research
title Using Facebook to Recruit People with Dwarfism: Pros and Pitfalls for Disabled Participants and Researchers
title_full Using Facebook to Recruit People with Dwarfism: Pros and Pitfalls for Disabled Participants and Researchers
title_fullStr Using Facebook to Recruit People with Dwarfism: Pros and Pitfalls for Disabled Participants and Researchers
title_full_unstemmed Using Facebook to Recruit People with Dwarfism: Pros and Pitfalls for Disabled Participants and Researchers
title_short Using Facebook to Recruit People with Dwarfism: Pros and Pitfalls for Disabled Participants and Researchers
title_sort using facebook to recruit people with dwarfism pros and pitfalls for disabled participants and researchers
topic facebook
recruitment
people with dwarfism
digital divide
networked individualism
disability research
url https://account.sjdr.se/index.php/su-j-sjdr/article/view/747
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