Mapping a Dark Space: Challenges in Sampling and Classifying Non- Institutionalized Actors on Telegram
Crafted as an open communication platform characterized by high anonymity and minimal moderation, Telegram has garnered increasing popularity among activists operating within repressive political contexts, as well as among political extremists and conspiracy theorists. While Telegram offers valuable...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | deu |
| Published: |
Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Medien & Kommunikationswissenschaft |
| Online Access: | https://www.nomos-elibrary.de/10.5771/1615-634X-2023-3-4-212 |
| _version_ | 1827321006855815168 |
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| author | Pablo Jost Annett Heft Kilian Buehling Maximilian Zehring Heidi Schulze Hendrik Bitzmann Emese Domahidi |
| author_facet | Pablo Jost Annett Heft Kilian Buehling Maximilian Zehring Heidi Schulze Hendrik Bitzmann Emese Domahidi |
| author_sort | Pablo Jost |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Crafted as an open communication platform characterized by high anonymity and minimal moderation, Telegram has garnered increasing popularity among activists operating within repressive political contexts, as well as among political extremists and conspiracy theorists. While Telegram offers valuable data access to research non-institutionalized activism, scholars studying the latter on Telegram face unique theoretical and methodological challenges in systematically defining, selecting, sampling, and classifying relevant actors and content. This literature review addresses these issues by considering a wide range of recent research. In particular, it discusses the methodological challenges of sampling and classifying heterogeneous groups of (often non-institutionalized) actors. Drawing on social movement research, we first identify challenges specific to the characteristics of non-institutionalized actors and how they become interlaced with Telegram’s platform infrastructure and requirements. We then discuss strategies from previous Telegram research for the identification and sampling of a study population through multistage sampling procedures and the classification of actors. Finally, we derive challenges and potential strategies for future research and discuss ethical challenges. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-25T00:58:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f05860f90fea47a68d21dc918ff2f26a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1615-634X 2942-3317 |
| language | deu |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-25T00:58:04Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Medien & Kommunikationswissenschaft |
| spelling | doaj.art-f05860f90fea47a68d21dc918ff2f26a2024-03-11T08:41:19ZdeuNomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KGMedien & Kommunikationswissenschaft1615-634X2942-33172023-11-01713-421222910.5771/1615-634X-2023-3-4-2121057711615634X202334212Mapping a Dark Space: Challenges in Sampling and Classifying Non- Institutionalized Actors on TelegramPablo JostAnnett HeftKilian BuehlingMaximilian ZehringHeidi SchulzeHendrik BitzmannEmese DomahidiCrafted as an open communication platform characterized by high anonymity and minimal moderation, Telegram has garnered increasing popularity among activists operating within repressive political contexts, as well as among political extremists and conspiracy theorists. While Telegram offers valuable data access to research non-institutionalized activism, scholars studying the latter on Telegram face unique theoretical and methodological challenges in systematically defining, selecting, sampling, and classifying relevant actors and content. This literature review addresses these issues by considering a wide range of recent research. In particular, it discusses the methodological challenges of sampling and classifying heterogeneous groups of (often non-institutionalized) actors. Drawing on social movement research, we first identify challenges specific to the characteristics of non-institutionalized actors and how they become interlaced with Telegram’s platform infrastructure and requirements. We then discuss strategies from previous Telegram research for the identification and sampling of a study population through multistage sampling procedures and the classification of actors. Finally, we derive challenges and potential strategies for future research and discuss ethical challenges.https://www.nomos-elibrary.de/10.5771/1615-634X-2023-3-4-212 |
| spellingShingle | Pablo Jost Annett Heft Kilian Buehling Maximilian Zehring Heidi Schulze Hendrik Bitzmann Emese Domahidi Mapping a Dark Space: Challenges in Sampling and Classifying Non- Institutionalized Actors on Telegram Medien & Kommunikationswissenschaft |
| title | Mapping a Dark Space: Challenges in Sampling and Classifying Non- Institutionalized Actors on Telegram |
| title_full | Mapping a Dark Space: Challenges in Sampling and Classifying Non- Institutionalized Actors on Telegram |
| title_fullStr | Mapping a Dark Space: Challenges in Sampling and Classifying Non- Institutionalized Actors on Telegram |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mapping a Dark Space: Challenges in Sampling and Classifying Non- Institutionalized Actors on Telegram |
| title_short | Mapping a Dark Space: Challenges in Sampling and Classifying Non- Institutionalized Actors on Telegram |
| title_sort | mapping a dark space challenges in sampling and classifying non institutionalized actors on telegram |
| url | https://www.nomos-elibrary.de/10.5771/1615-634X-2023-3-4-212 |
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