Assessing the methodological quality of empirical research on social media influencers
Monika Leszczyńska, Gijs VAN DIJCK · Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks · 2020
Empirical research on social media influencers provides useful insights about this new phenomenon for legal scholars, legislators and policymakers. Importantly, this research is conducted using different data collection methods and research designs. The goal of the chapter is to enhance drawing proper conclusions from this variety of empirical research as well as understanding its potential but also its limitations. We first introduce types of questions that can be relevant for legal scholars dealing with issues regarding social media influencers. In this respect, examples are provided of existing empirical research addressing some of these questions. Using the examples, we introduce basic criteria such as validity or reliability that are essential for assessing the methodological quality of empirical research. Finally, we discuss data collection methods used in empirical studies on social media influencers, pointing to their strengths and weaknesses regarding validity and reliability, but also highlighting certain ethical and technical aspects that might be crucial for methodological choices.