64Case studies

It was decided that an organisational perspective was needed to gauge how Māori groups were engaging with SNS and in considering its impact on Māori people and culture. To gauge such a unique picture of what was happening within community groups, a research method such as case studies was considered. As Hammersley & Gomm (2000, p.3) point out,

The term 'case study' is also often taken to carry implications for the kind of data that are collected, and perhaps also for how these are analysed. Frequently, but not always, it implies the collection of unstructured data, and qualitative analysis of those data.

It was intended that these case studies would incorporate a range of discussants of different ages who were able to provide some insight into how the organisation thinks about and understands SNS, and in particular, discuss tikanga Māori being practised in online spaces and the implications. Tikanga Māori and the accessibility and practising of such tikanga were areas of inquiry for case studies. It was important to get a variation of participants across generations, therefore kaumātua were targeted as part of wider case studies to share their perspectives.

Case studies as a data sample were intended to gauge an in-depth and holistically conceptualised description of organised Māori groups and their involvement including their experiences with and perspectives on SNS in relation to Māori culture (and identity),

Case study method enables a researcher to closely examine the data within a specific context. In most cases, a case study method selects a small geographical area or a very limited number of individuals as the subjects of study. Case studies, in their true essence, explore and investigate contemporary real-life phenomenon through detailed contextual analysis of a limited number of events or conditions, and their relationships (Zainal, 2007, p.1-2).

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As Stake (1978, p.7) discusses, case study research is being used by anthropologists and other social scientists nowadays offering research “a method of exploration preliminary to theory development” it equally moves into experiential research and methods of theorising. Case studies as a method for collecting data is therefore appropriate to use in order to gauge the wide-ranging issues and ideas that exist within this under-researched area.

The objective was to have 4 – 6 iwi case studies, with a mix of both rural and urban Māori groups to offer some diversity in narratives around issues of accessibility to such technologies. However, I was restricted by time and financial constraints which made it difficult to conduct this number of case studies. It was therefore decided with my supervisory team that two iwi (one rural and one abroad) would suffice, and would at least provide some rich data on the issues that rural and urban Māori groups are facing with regards to SNS. Data was captured using an audio recorder and subsequently transcribed. In some instances, several interviews with available participants for one case study occurred separately. This was to ensure that the key members of the organisation, including its executive representatives and constituents (from across generations), were inluded and contributed to an holistic and in-depth record.

Online survey

Empiricism states that the only source of knowledge is experience, especially of the senses. We understand the world through observation (data collecting), not just through speculative thinking or theories. At some point, to be scientific, we must encounter the reality that is out there and experience through observation whether the educated hunches or ideas we proposed in our theories are substantiated (Nardi, 2003, p.7).

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Nardi explains that the process of observation is what informs us to reaching conclusions about human behaviour. These experiences through observation are important to understanding every day, mundane life skills; it is not enough to form conclusions and therefore, facts about particular people. To gain a clearer perspective of what is happening is to “go beyond the components of everyday thinking” (Nardi, 2003, p.6).

The survey approached some of the key research objectives in an exploratory and descriptive way, to get a sense of how the Māori diaspora use SNS. The survey aimed to describe what is happening for those respondents who were involved with the survey and was not intended to be representative of all Māori living overseas.

The online survey targeted Māori who were living outside of Aotearoa New Zealand for at least 12 months. Participants were 18 years or older and were users of SNS. The survey was designed to target this demographic of Māori diaspora in gauging a broader global context of how SNS and social media in general affected ex-pats and their connections home. The idea of conducting a survey with Māori living abroad was to give voice to those not physically part of Māori communities here in Aotearoa, but who evidently play major roles in their Māori communities at home. Living away from home is at times difficult and often, through physical absence, relatives and friends who live beyond Aotearoa‟s shores lack a voice in the day to day lives of their family and friends who live at home. Through this online survey, these distant voices were privileged and heard.

The survey consisted of 15 questions (with a series of second and third level probes) and comprised of a criteria pre-test, demographics section, a section on the use of

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SNS, and finally a section around access to cultural knowledge and how SNS enhances or hinders connectedness to such knowledge. The survey gathered both quantitative and qualitative data using a combination of multi-choice and short answer formats. The survey ran for 2 days, and provided 139 completed questionnaires, which for a non-representative instrument gave a sample size sufficient to provide a broad range of perspectives of Māori who live abroad. The aim was to obtain a descriptive and indicative understanding of the experiences of Māori (representative of those who completed the survey) who, as part of the diaspora at the time of being surveyed, were outside of Aotearoa New Zealand.