My Overarching Case study Research Approach

The ‘case’ is viewed by some as an object of study (Stake, 1995) and by others as a methodological approach (Merriam, 1988). This section discusses the case as a methodology. The qualitative case study approach presents the opportunity to explore a phenomenon within

and in-depth view of the phenomenon of study (Faegin et al., 1991) and enables the “multiple facets of the phenomenon to be revealed and understood” (Baxter & Jack, 2008, p.544). “At a minimum” for example, Hakim (2000, p.59) identifies that “a case study can provide a richly detailed ‘portrait’ of particular social phenomena” and thus can also “provide a more richly detailed and precise account of the processes at work” (Hakim, 2000, p.60). It has been argued that empowerment cannot be measured but can only be understood within unique settings on a case by case basis (Rappaport, 1987; Rissel, 1994; Page & Czuba, 1999) and this perspective forms the fundamental rationale for my case study approach. The case is also particularly suited to a domestication approach to the understanding of the relationship between technology and social change.

The choice of my case study was opportunistic as through Salford University I became aware of a Community Reporter Programme being delivered through a not for profit social enterprise and charity called Manchester Community Information Network (MCIN), in the local area. The Community Reporter Programme was being run by People’s Voice Media, (PVM) an integral part of MCIN. MCIN, during the course of my research rebranded as People’s Voice Media. The extract below from various relevant documents serves to illustrate just how ideal the Community Reporter Programme and the surrounding context of MCIN and PVM are for my research ambitions, with particular regard to an evident central empowerment ethos, an emphasis on voice and a focus on social media:

MCIN is a not for profit social enterprise and charity that increases social inclusion through ICT (MCIN, 2008)

People’s Voice Media supports communities by developing, marketing and distributing community stories, news and views through the use of social media, (MCIN, 2008)

The primary aim of the Community Reporters’ Programme is to give participants a voice and increase their confidence. Everyone has something to say and stories to tell about their local area and their lives. MCIN’s Community Reporters’ Programme allows people to express themselves and tell these stories online, using MCIN’s network of 12 community websites to distribute their content. Reporters may use social media tools such as blogs, podcasts and wikis to produce content using mobiles, home video cameras and web cams as well as produce local community newspapers (Copitch, 2008).

PVM aims to become a social enterprise working with local communities, which uses social media and other communication tools to empower

individuals and communities. PVM is all about participation and empowerment which has always been a core objective for MCIN. At the centre of MCIN is our Community Reporters training programmes. These help provide people with the skills to communicate what’s going on where they live and also to improve their own social, educational and work opportunities (Leach in MCIN, 2008).

I was immediately excited at the idea of basing my study around this programme and was delighted when I managed to set up a meeting with the Chief Executive of PVM. During this initial meeting I found out that the Community Reporter Programme was operating in two urban regeneration areas, defined by the government’s New Deal for Communities programme, in Salford and Manchester (4.4.1, Appendix D). The scene was thus set for a case study of the Community Reporter Programme within the desired context of urban regeneration.

My approach takes the form of a single exploratory case study underscored by an interpretive and critical perspective. Exploratory case studies allow for the investigation of causal links (Yin, 2003). The single case study approach is also of value in ‘revelatory’ cases that is, cases that may not previously have been accessible (Faegin et al., 1991). The Community Reporter Programme was seen as presenting an innovative and novel approach to digital inclusion and thus may be seen as a revelatory case study. My case study was thus bounded by the Community Reporter Programme as it operates in two urban regeneration areas. Through gaining access to this programme I was able to route my key research questions through an exploration of the value of the Community Reporter Programme with regards to community empowerment and regeneration. Fundamentally, the case study approach enables me to explore the potential of the relationship between social media and community empowerment within a specific contextual lens and to conduct the exploration rigorously through a variety of data sources (Baxter & Jack, 2008).

4.3.1.1 Integrating Phenomenology and Ethnography

Within my overall case study approach to the Community Reporter Programme I also integrated aspects of the methodologies of phenomenology and ethnography. Qualitative research is fundamentally grounded in views and experiences of research participants and thus phenomenology is a useful methodology to incorporate. Phenomenologists make a

understand the essence or structure of the experience. I very much wanted to understand and articulate what taking part in the Community Reporter Programme might mean for participants, thus from the outset, in line with a phenomenological methodology, I wanted to “determine what an experience means for the persons who have had the experience” and access those people who would be willing and “able to provide a comprehensive description of it” (Moustakas, 1994, p.13). This would help me ensure that my findings would be effectively grounded in the views and experiences of people taking part in the Community Reporter Programme.

Ethnography is rooted in the research tradition of anthropology and seeks to understand the phenomena of study within its cultural and social context and thus within its natural setting (Walsham, 1995; Myers, 2004). The usual approach of an ethnographic research project is for the researcher to immerse themselves in the lives of the people that form the focus of the study (Lewis, 2003; Myers, 2004) and generally therefore to spend large quantities of time within the research field (Myers, 2004). Given that ethnography often “involves immersion in a culture over a period of years, based on learning the language and participating in social events with them” (Silverman, 1993, p.32), I cannot say that I employed ethnography in its fullest and immersive sense. However, anthropologists argue that “if one is really to understand a group of people, one must engage in an extended period of observation” (Silver, 1993, p.31). I came to the conclusion early on in the research process that if I was to fully understand my complex phenomenon of study, I would need to immerse myself in the experience of taking part in the Community Reporter Programme. Thus, for a period of some nine months between April 2009 until the end of December 2009, I began immersing myself in the experience of being a community reporter through; attending ‘drop in’ sessions, training sessions and courses, events, focus groups, meetings, going out on ‘community reporter’ assignments, (primarily with one of the community reporters who was happy to work with me) and working with community reporters to create, edit and share content via community sites. Again, such an approach was designed to gain an in-depth holistic picture of the phenomenon and was viewed as a useful way to understand the complexities of the phenomenon. Geertz (1973, p.9) provides a useful account of the kind of data which emerges from such an anthropological approach, identifying that “data” in this context “are really our own constructions of other people’s construction of what they and their compatriots are up to.”

Ethnographic approaches to technology have been identified as valuable for the exploration of technologies which have become largely invisible through domestication (Hine, 2003, Raynes-Goldie, 2012). boyd’s (2008) thesis which drew on the ethnographic methodology made the distinction between ethnographies of users and ethnographies of systems. My approach may be understood as a system based ethnography being interested in exploring as many aspects of the Community Reporter Programme and therefore shapers of the community reporter experience as possible. Overall case studies are characterised by the collection of use of a range of data sources or empirical materials thus seeking to enhance the credibility of the data derived (Yin, 2003; Baxter & Jack, 2008). In the next section I now explore the primary methods of data collection which characterise my research approach.