Facebook Enables Disaster Research Studies: The Use of Social Media to Recruit Participants in a Post-Disaster Setting

Conclusions Social media was a useful strategy to recruit participants for a self-selected Internet sample for disaster research and did limit several of the practical and ethical challenges connected to disaster research. However, the method demands access to Internet connection in the disaster area, several strategic considerations, and an active approach from the researcher. The method does not eliminate the problem with non-probability samples, which is common in disaster research. To fully understand the potential and use of social media for recruiting participants for disaster research, the strategy needs to be further used and evaluated. Competing Interests Statement The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Data Availability Statement All available data has been reported in this article. Corresponding Author Karin Hugelius, e-mail: karin.hugelius@oru.se
Source: PLOS Currents Disasters - Category: Global & Universal Authors: Source Type: research